Uprise
by Breathe Artistic
Summary: The NXT rookies have started a rebellion, but their actions effect more people than they know. Arianne Cena finds herself in limbo with her personal and professional life when things take a turn for the worst with her long-time boyfriend Justin Gabriel.
1. Chapter 1

So, I completely understand that the whole NXT invasion thing is scripted, but let's say, for the sake of fiction that it wasn't. The idea of all of that will make so much more sense as the fic progresses, I promise!

Happy reading, all! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

With his hands on my hips, Paul Lloyd Jr. shifted me ever so slightly in his lap as he looked around the lockeroom at his fellow NXT rookies. Eight pairs of eyes were staring at the monitor in the lockeroom, and simultaneously, they each glanced around to each other. With a unison nod, they moved. Paul pulled me to my feet, standing along with his fellow NXT competitors. On the monitor that the rookies were so fixated on was the main event of RAW that saw John Cena facing CM Punk. I looked at each face in the room, feeling increasingly distressed. The eight rookies headed towards the door, filing out one by one. I followed the tall dark-haired man known to the WWE Universe as Justin Gabriel, walking quickly to keep up with his long strides.

"Paul," I said. "Paul what's going on?"

He paused, turning to smile at me gently. He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. "Nothing to worry about, love."

He kissed my cheek quickly and headed to catch up with his peers. I followed closely, hearing the distinct voice of Bryan Danielson say: "Cena's in for it!" Walking faster now, I grabbed Paul's elbow, pulling him to a stop.

"What's going on, Paul," I asked forcefully. "Tell me!"

Stu Bennett, otherwise known as Wade Barrett, who towered over me completely stopped, patting the top of my head. "Run along now, deary," He said mockingly. "This is for the men to handle."

I swatted at him, pushing him away. "Get away from me."

Paul narrowed his eyes at Bennett, who walked away snickering. He rested his hands on my shoulders, looking in my eyes. "Arianne. Sweetheart. Don't you worry. It's just business."

"Business? Paul that's my brother out there!" I exclaimed. "What are you all thinking?"

David Otunga stopped next, turning to face me. "Let me break it down for you, baby girl. John Cena is the poster boy for everything we want. Everything that we've been working out asses off for, and he's not even as good as half of us! We're doing what we gotta do to send a message to this place that we aren't just here for them to look over and pick through like someone's closet. We're not playing around, we're for real. It's nothing personal on you, little girl," Otunga said scathingly. "Big brother just happens to have everything we want. What better way to send a message than to get at the top dog."

I shook my head. "What are you going to do to him! What the hell is going on!"

Paul put his arms around me, directing me away from Otunga. "It won't be that bad, love..."

Heath laughed. "Don't sugarcoat it for the princess, Pauly," He drawled, shaking his red hair out of his eyes. "It's gonna be _brutal_."

Paul frowned as I looked up at him with wet eyes. "I'm sorry, love..."

"Paul don't do this," I pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Please. There's got to be a better way. This is insane! This isn't right! Paul please!"

David Otunga spoke up again, placing his hands on my shoulders from behind. "Move along, little girl. You're holding up the movement."

I elbowed Otunga in the ribs as hard as I could, turning and shoving him away from me. "Don't touch me, Otunga! Get away from me!" I returned my attention to the South Africa native. "Paul don't. Please. You're more than this. You're better than this! Don't you think there's better ways to make things happen? What about all your talent and how hard you've already worked! Don't do it like this."

"Arianne, darling. It's not personal. It's just business," Paul cupped my face in his hands, kissing my forehead gently. He whispered: "I love you, still."

I grabbed his wrists tightly, shaking my head. "Please don't. Paul please."

"Get in your positions boys," Stu ordered in his heavy British accent. "It's almost time."

Paul kissed my cheek gently. "I'm sorry."

I watched helplessly, tears in my eyes as Paul and the rest of the NXT rookies dispersed through the arena, heading to separate places to enter the ringside area. I headed back to the lockeroom, tears streaming down my cheeks. I scrubbed my hand over my face as I ran into a sling wearing Randy Orton. Randy Orton and John Cena didn't always see eye-to-eye but I never had an issue with the WWE's Apex Predator.

"What's wrong, Ari?" Randy asked, resting his good hand on my shoulder.

"The rookies are uprising," I said. "They're headed out there to beat my brother silly."

Randy narrowed his steely blue-gray eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! My boyfriend is going out there with every intention of really hurting my brother!" I cried. "Randy I have to do something."

I'd made up my mind, I was going out there to help my brother. I turned towards one of the arena entrances and started walking with a purpose. Baffled, Randy followed close after, grabbing me around the waist with his good arm, wincing at the pain the sharp movement sent shooting through his separated shoulder.

"Arianne stop!" Randy growled, spinning me around. "Are you crazy? You can't go out there with all those guys! You have no idea what they're going to do. You can't go getting yourself hurt. John would go ballistic!"

"That's my brother, Randy! I need to help him," I dissolved into Randy's arms, crying. "He's always helped me."

Randy sighed, patting my back awkwardly. "It's business, Ari... I'm sure it's scripted."

"Then how come we didn't know of it, Randy?" I asked into his chest.

Randy was silent, thinking back and realize that it indeed, hadn't been written anywhere he'd seen in the script for the night. "How'd you find out?"

"I was sitting in the lockeroom with Paul," I sniffled, lifting my head. "Him and the rest of the rookies were watching and then just all of a sudden stood up and left. He wouldn't tell me what was happening but Otunga said that they were going to send a message because John's the 'top dog'. Because he's the 'poster boy' for everything they want. God Randy I don't get this."

The Viper sighed, wiping tears from my face. "Some boyfriend you've got there, Ari."

"Randy he's not a bad guy," I said defensively. "I just don't get it."

"I'm sorry little Cena," Randy kissed the top of my head in a brotherly manner. "John's a tough guy. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"That doesn't make a difference Randy," I cried. "I know John's tough but that's not the point! This is wrong. Paul..."

From behind us, a lockeroom door burst open and John Hennigan and Ron Killings came flying through the door. John slid to a stop, his eyes fell on me and snapped his mouth shut. Ron slammed into his back and Randy pulled me out of the way before we were victims of the domino effect John created.

"H-hey little Cena," John stammered. "Have...err... man, what's going on out there?"

I turned my watery eyes to John for a long moment before burying my face in Randy's chest again. Randy rolled his eyes as Ron elbowed John. He frowned and patted my back gently.

"Sorry little Cena," He said. "It's... so messed up what's going on out there."

I spun around from Randy's arms, yelling: "Then why isn't anyone helping?"

"I thought it was kayfabe," John said. "That it was planned and we weren't allowed."

Randy sighed. "We have no idea what's going on."

I stay silent, my eyes fixated on the nearest monitor. Nothing and no one was safe from the wrath of the rookies. They had torn apart the ring, the announcer's desk, and the safety mats at ringside. Not only did they assault CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and John Cena, but Jerry "The King" Lawler, referees, and Justin Roberts, the ring announcer. I watched as Paul climbed to the top rope, standing and staring down at my brother for a moment before hitting his beautiful signature 450 Splash. I turned back to Randy, burying my face in his chest again. Randy rubbed my back gently as he watched with narrowed eyes at the monitor and the retreating NXT rookies. The eight returned to the backstage area, most looking proud of themselves. Randy, John, and Ron glared at the passing men while Paul stopped, the only one looking sympathetic. Randy tightened his grip on me protectively, narrowing his eyes.

"It's best if you walk away right now," Randy said, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't speak to her and walk the fuck away."

I raised my head, looking at Paul with wet, red eyes. I shook my head at him sadly as Randy led me away from Paul and in the direction that they were bringing John back on the stretcher. I pulled away from Randy and hurried over to my brother.

"John! Are you okay?" I cried.

"I'm fine, baby girl," John said, grabbing my outstretched hand. "Don't worry, Ari-kid. I've had worse. I'll be alright."

I sniffled, squeezing my brother's hand. "I don't get it. Why...?"

"I couldn't tell ya, Ari," John said. "Look, you get back to the hotel, okay? I'll be fine. We still got breakfast in the morning."

"John you're not going to be up to breakfast in the morning," I said. "You'll need to rest."

"Don't tell me, girl," John tried to laugh, but winced. "Go on. I'll let you know how things are in the morning."

I nodded slowly and leaned down to kiss my brother's cheek. John smiled at me slightly as the medical crew loaded John into the ambulance. I stood there while the ambulance pulled away, watching helplessly. An arm went around me from the side and I jumped before noticing it was only Randy.

"You need a ride back to the hotel, little Cena?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said softly. "That would be great. Thanks Randy."

I headed back to the divas lockeroom to gather my bags and met Randy in the parking garage in the arena. I loaded my bags into the trunk and helped Randy with his.

"Are you okay to drive, Randy?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He replied. "The sling is mostly for show. It hurts a little but I can deal."

We climbed into the car and Randy took off for the hotel. Once we arrived and checked in, I gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before we went our separate ways. Knowing that Paul would eventually be there and we'd already planned to share a room, I sent him a brusque text message telling him what room we were in. Unlocking the door, I flipped on the lights and drug my bags inside. Shuffling through my suitcase, I pulled out my toiletry bag and a pair of pajamas, heading into the bathroom for a shower. Before I started up the water, there was a knock on the door. Sighing, I wrapped a towel around myself and headed to the door. Standing on my toes, I looked through the peephole to see a sympathetic looking Paul. Sighing, I unlocked the door and opened it, turning away from him immediately.

"Arianne..." Paul said softly, reaching out for me.

"Close the door," I said. "I really don't want to talk to you right now. I'm taking a shower and going to bed."

Without looking back, I walked into the bathroom and shut the door and moments later the water was running. I hated being mad at Paul. I loved him and had for a long time. We'd met when I first came to FCW, and I felt connected to him instantly. He was a wonderful guy, loving and talented. He appreciated the fact that I was there to learn and live my dream and become accomplished as a wrestler, not just to be a pretty face. He liked that even though we both lived by the 'never back down, never quit' mantra, I was a different person from by brother. Paul and I had started dating relatively quickly, but that had been okay with us, because there was a lot of common ground and a lot of love between us. When I returned from the bathroom, hair wet and dressed in pajamas, Paul looked over at me, watching as I put things back into my suitcase and turned to him, finally. He stood and walked over to me, putting his arms around me. I crossed my arms, refusing to return his hug. He kissed the top of my head, squeezing me tightly.

"I'm sorry, love. I really am." He whispered.

I pulled out of his embrace and walked over to the bed without a word. I climbed in and turned away from my boyfriend, still silent. Sighing, Paul headed into the bathroom for a shower of his own and by the time he returned, I was fast asleep. He shut off the lights and climbed into bed.

* * *

Waking up the next morning in Paul's arms was both lovingly familiar and deeply irritating. In sleep, my anger at him didn't matter. His arms were warm and a place I always felt loved and safe. I looked over at his face for the first time since the night before and he looked sweet and peaceful, the man I loved. A bitter feeling welled up in me, the man I loved had taken part in some serious brutality that involved my brother. When family was involved, things like that were a serious problem in my book. But I loved Paul, he was incredibly important to me and he made me happy.

I glanced over Paul's shoulder at the clock. Seven o'clock. John wouldn't be up for another few hours, especially the way he was feeling. Sighing softly, I closed my eyes and drifted off again. About an hour and a half later, I woke again, this time to the smell of something sweet, something savory and the irresistible allure of coffee. I pried my eyelids apart and saw Paul sitting at the table, reading. In front of him was a white covered plate. Sitting up, I ran my fingers through sleep-disheveled hair, raising an eyebrow.

"What's all this?" I asked.

Paul stood up, walking over to me. He kissed my forehead gently, wrapping his arms around me before I could pull away. I looked up into Paul's eyes, confused.

"I have a lot of making up to do, love. I know I hurt you yesterday and I don't know what I have to do to make it right but I'll do it," Paul said. "I'm sorry. I know it's probably hard to believe right now and I don't blame you for a second if you don't but from the bottom of my heart I'm sorry. Arianne, I love you."

I sighed. Paul's sincerity and those eyes were hard to say no to, hard to stay mad at. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he kissed my cheek gently.

"It may not be much, love, but there's breakfast here if you want."

I bit my lip. "I really shouldn't. I'm going to breakfast with John... whenever it is he wakes up," I sighed. "But thank you anyway."

Paul smiled. "It's okay, love."

"Paul... I'm sorry about last night," I said. "I was rude to you. I was upset but I was rude and that wasn't fair..."

"Arianne, don't apologize. I deserved it. What I did is far less forgivable. I completely understand you being upset with me." He said.

"John may not be so... understanding. He has a tendency to hold a grudge." I said.

"I understand that," Paul said softly. "I understand I can't possibly be one of your brother's favorite people right now."

"John doesn't dislike a whole lot of people, but there's eight on his list right now." I frowned.

Paul nodded. "I can only imagine the type of hell I'm in for."

I leaned forward and kissed Paul on the cheek. "If you want to stick around after all this, then I commend you, baby."

"I wouldn't leave you, Arianne."

I smiled as Paul pulled me close and kissed me deeply. I shifted myself so that my legs were on either side of his body, I wrapped them around his waist, crossing my ankles and pulling him forward to me. Paul braced himself with his hands as to not squish me as he hovered over me. Paul kissed at my neck and collarbone while my fingers scrambled across his bare back. Paul crawled to his knees, pushing me back while he lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around Paul's shoulders as I broke the kiss with a gasp. Paul grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it over my head. I lifted my hips as Paul stripped my bottoms off, and grabbed the waistband of Paul's loose pajama bottoms, dragging them down his hips. Paul wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me, slipping himself into me at once. I cried out, digging my nails into Paul's back. Moving and panting in unison, I almost didn't realize the first few bars of my brother's entrance theme playing from my phone on the bedside table. Paul slowed his movements and I peeled my eyes open. The temptation to ignore the call was high as Paul pushed himself a little deeper inside me. I whimpered as he kissed my neck and the music stopped. I kissed Paul's lips, wrapping my legs around him again, pulling him in close. The music began again and I sighed both in frustration and pleasure as Paul slowed again and the music continued to play.

"I have to," I panted. "It's John."

Paul paused, lifting me with one arm so I could reach back and grab my phone. I jabbed the answer button on the touch screen and held the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said, trying to control my breathing.

"You just waking up, Ari-kid?" John laughed.

"Y-yeah. What time is it?"

"Almost nine," John said. "Shake out the sleep, girl!"

"How the hell are you awake and so chipper right now." I asked.

"You know me, not much can keep me down," John said. "What room are you in? I'll swing through and pick you up."

"Six fourteen," I said. "Give me a few okay? I gotta shower."

"Okay kid. I'll head down in a little while."

"Okay," I said. "See you in a bit."

I hung up, dropping the phone off the side of the bed. Paul smiled at me, leaning down to kiss me.

"I didn't kill the moment, did I?" I asked as we broke away.

With the way Paul continued to move, the answer, decidedly, was no. I gripped Paul's shoulders and he buried his face in my neck, when we climaxed together. Letting out a long, slow breath, Paul kissed along the side of my neck, up to my ear, then along my jaw. He gently laid his forehead on my chin and she pressed my lips to his hairline.

"I love you, Paul." I whispered.

He raised his head, smiling at me. "I've been waiting to hear you say that all night." Paul kissed me gently, moving backwards and laying me down on the bed. "I love you, too."

I sat up and glanced over at the clock. A 'little while' for John usually meant about ten minutes and almost twenty had already passed, he was being generous. Just as I slid off the bed to head to the shower, there was a knock on the door. I cursed softly and grabbed the t-shirt and the shorts I'd slept in from the floor, jumping into them as I went to the door.

"You're not ready yet, kid?" John laughed.

"Sorry, I dozed," I bluffed. "I gotta shower, but I won't be long."

"Well I'll wait for you."

"John... not such a good idea," I said quickly, lowering my voice. "Paul's here."

Annoyance flickered in John's eyes for a split second but he blinked it was gone. "Right. Well, call me when you're ready, okay?"

"I will. Love you, big brother."

John grinned and ruffled my hair. "Love you too, kid. Now shake a leg, girl!"

I smiled as I shut the door and hurried towards the bathroom. I stopped and kissed Paul quickly as I passed before disappearing for a shower. When I returned, Paul was lounging on the bed, still nude and watching television. I paused when I saw him. Paul had an absolutely beautiful body. He was lean and toned. Muscular in all the right places, defined and completely perfect. Shaking myself, I pulled my eyes away from him and dug through my bag for clothes. When I looked up, Paul was watching my with a smile on his face. I smiled back at him and dropped the towel, sliding on my panties and slipping a light blue halter dress over my head. I dug my hairbrush out and ran it through my dark blond hair, leaving it laying long and loose at my shoulders. I picked up my purse and slung it over my shoulder, sliding my feet into a pair of white wedges. Walking to the bed I pressed a kiss to Paul's lips.

"I'll be back in a little while baby." I said, picking up my phone from the floor and heading out the door.

I jabbed the down button for the elevator, then placed a call to my brother. John was already down in the lobby, mingling with fans. Once the elevator doors swished open, I stepped on and rode it down to the lobby level. Stepping off, I spotted John in the center of a group of about six fans. John Cena was always a fan favorite, a hit among the WWE Universe. Arianne Cena, however, was not. In the ring, I was known as Ari Rose. A conjunction between my nickname, and Rosalie, my middle name. The WWE Universe were to have no clue that we were siblings. That, however, wasn't exactly easy, with technology these days. With Google and Wikipedia and the like, it was easy to find out that John and I were brother and sister.

Not that the Cena family resemblance would ever let us deny being related. John and I looked remarkably alike. Where John's face was square, strong, and masculine, mine was heart-shaped, soft and feminine. My nose was smaller than his and we both had sky blue eyes. Our smiling dimples were identical and my lips were full and my mouth was slightly wide. John waved at me as he spotted me and a few of the fans turned, claming towards me. I signed a few autographs and posed for a few pictures before John and I were able to leave. Once we reached the restaurant and were seated, and our food ordered, I questioned John about the night before.

"So... how are you feeling? After last night, I mean." I asked carefully.

"I'm alright. A little banged up and sore but nothing I can't deal with," John said, shrugging. "Your man has a serious 450, Ari-kid."

I frowned. "John, about Paul..."

John sighed. "Ari... I'm not gonna say anything bad about him, because I know you love him. I don't care what he does to me kid, just as long as he doesn't hurt you."

"He feels bad, Johnny," I said, sipping my drink. "He likes you, he really does. I don't really get what happened last night. There's no explanation or excuse for it..."

"Arianne its business, kiddo. I'm not exactly happy about it though." John said.

"Business doesn't mean anything when it comes to family," I frowned. "You don't hate Paul, do you?"

"I don't _hate_ anyone, Ari-kid," John said. "He's not one of my favorite people right now. I'm not gonna say that I don't want you to be with someone because I know that how you feel about him. He and I just aren't gonna be friends for a little while."

I nodded sadly as the waiter came with our food. We ate in relative silence and once we finished and John paid the check, we headed back to the hotel. I hugged my brother when we returned and headed back up to the room with Paul. I unlocked the door and noticed him snoozing on the bed. He either hadn't bothered to, or had fallen asleep before getting up to take a shower and put on clean clothes. I dropped my purse on the table and walked over to the side of the bed, leaning over Paul. I kissed his cheek, then his lips and his eyes fluttered open. I smiled at the sight of his warm hazel eyes and kissed him again.

"Back already, love?" He murmured against my lips.

"I've been gone for an hour and a half, Paul." I laughed.

Paul looked over at the clock, yawned, then smiled. "I meant to get up and shower but... I never made it that far."

I laughed, and leaned down, kissing him gently. "Go get a shower. We've got a drive ahead of us, babe."

He chuckled softly and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Getting to his feet, he kissed my forehead and headed into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and wiggled my feet out of my wedges. I pulled my suitcase over to the bed and dug a pair of flip flops out of it and shoved the sandals inside. I laid back into the warmth Paul's body heat left behind, breathing in the scent of him. I closed my eyes, sighing. Backstage heat on the NXT rookies was going to be almost unbearable in the next few weeks, months, however long this whole rebellion was going to last. The relationship between Paul and I was no secret among our colleagues, but naturally, the dysfunctional family of the WWE always showed solidarity when harm fell upon on of their own at the hands of outsiders. I wondered how they were going to react now, and prospect of negative reactions really frightened me.

The sound of the bathroom door opening pulled my eyes over to where Paul walked out. His hair was dripping, the towel around his waist was hanging low on his slim hips. I sighed, I could stare at Paul's body all day, it was like he was chiseled out of stone. Paul chuckled at me as he threw his towel at me and started to dress. I laughed and threw it back at him, sitting upright. He slung the towel around his shoulders and shimmied into a pair of jeans. He slid the towel from around his shoulders and playfully snapped it at me. I laughed and jumped out of the way but Paul snapped the towel again and it hit me in the back of my thigh. I stung like crazy and I yelped. I whacked Paul in the chest and he grabbed me around the waist, pulling me against him. I tilted my head back and met his lips, and he squeezed me before we broke apart.

Paul kissed my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, babe," I smiled. "Almost ready to get going?"

Paul sighed, squeezing me again, one of his hands wandering low and resting on my backside. "Not particularly."

"Easy, honey," I giggled. "You're going to have to calm yourself down. We've got a long drive."


	2. Chapter 2

Paul drove, like he always did. He loved to drive and I had no qualms about letting him. We had quite a few hours drive to New Orleans, Louisiana and we usually spent most of our drives playing silly road games or singing along to songs on the radio. Today's drive was relatively quiet, both of us seemed to be lost in our thoughts as we headed to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, in my honest opinion. With the windows down and my feet on the dashboard, Paul and I zoomed through the bends and twists of the highways on our way to New Orleans.

"What's on your mind?" Paul asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

I shrugged. "A lot of things."

He glanced over, a small smile on his face. "Care to share, love?"

"I'm just a little...apprehensive, I guess, about going into this week. Things are going to be strange at work. People are going to have a lot to say." I said.

"Don't worry about what others have to say, Arianne," Paul said gently. "People are always going to talk. Positive or negative. I know it's not going to be easy...the two of us right now..."

"Uh, stop, no way," I interrupted. "Don't even start talking like that."

"Talking like what, love?"

"Talking like you're getting all discouraged," I said softly. "We'll make it through this, Paul. It's gonna be fine, baby."

I reached out and patted Paul's wrist. He took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for my hand, squeezing it. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles lightly, smiling.

"You're more than right, love," He said. "As long as we're there for each other, we'll be fine."

I nodded. "Exactly. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I am a little afraid of what's going to be said and what's going to happen... but I suppose we can't look too far into the future."

"I hope things don't get too difficult for you," Paul said softly. "I don't want you to have to suffer because of me."

"No one is going to be suffering, Paul," I said firmly. "Like you said, people are going to talk whether it's positive or negative and yeah, I'm definitely intimidated by it and a little freaked out about it but we'll be fine. You and I have been through so much together, Paul. This isn't going to be any worse or better than what we've endured before."

As we drifted to a stop at a traffic light, Paul kissed my hand again and turned his head and smiled at me. I stretched over the seat a little and kissed Paul's cheek as we got moving again. We had about an hour and a half left to go before we got to the location for the house show in New Orleans. I reclined my seat and dozed for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at the arena, Paul shook me by the shoulder to wake me. I yawned as he got out of the car and started unloading things from the trunk. I slid out of my seat, stretching my arms up, feeling my vertebrae tumble back into alignment with light popping sounds. Shutting my door, I joined Paul at the trunk of the car and grabbed the handle of my suitcase and we headed into the building. The first person we ran into was the towering NXT winner, Stu Bennett. Before I could get a word into say goodbye to Paul, Stu whisked him away for some sort of group meeting between the rebelling rookies. Rolling my eyes, I headed to the women's lockeroom. Inside was Maryse Ouellet, Eve Torres, and Victoria "Alicia Fox" Crawford. Maryse looked over as I walked in, dropping my bags, while Eve and Victoria went silent. I bit my lip, tucking my hair behind my ears nervously.

"Hey girls." I said.

"Ari, hey." Eve smiled.

Victoria rolled her eyes and got up from her seat, shoving past me as she headed for the door.

"Traitor." She muttered.

I spun to face her. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

Victoria snatched the door open, turning slightly to face me. "You heard me."

She walked out of the room but I followed behind quickly. I caught up with her in a few long strides and stepped in front of her. She glared at me, stopping before she slammed into me.

"What did you say to me?" I said firmly.

"You're a traitor," She said harshly, scoffing. "That was your brother out there last night and you're still walking around with that NXT jerk? What the hell is wrong with you?"

I clenched my fists. "Don't you dare judge me, Victoria," I snapped. "You have no idea what goes on in my world, and it's frankly none of your business."

She scoffed again. "John must be so proud of you."

"Hey! Tori, that's not fair," Eve said from behind us. She came up beside us, attempting to insert herself between Victoria and I. "Don't judge Arianne. She's a sweet girl and you know that. You hardly know anything about her relationship with him. Just let it go."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "You _would_ be on her side."

Victoria fixed me with one last glare, then turned on her heel and walked away. I flexed my fingers, stretching them out. Eve sighed softly, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that girl," She said. "She was totally out of bounds."

I hadn't realized my jaw was clenched so tightly until I tried to speak. I moved my lower jaw side-to-side slightly before replying. "I know. She should have just kept her mouth shut."

Eve nodded as we headed back to the Women's lockeroom. I dropped down into a chair next to Maryse, crossing my arms. I knew things like this were going to happen, I just wasn't looking for it to happen so soon. The very seconds of the day seemed to drag by and the dirty looks from handfuls of my coworkers kept coming. Going to the catering area was absolute hell. If it wasn't for Randy, lunch would have been completely unbearable.

I enjoyed Randy's company. Contrary to what most believed, Randy Orton was a fantastic person. Behind those cold steel eyes, he was a kind-hearted guy. He was the first to admit that he wasn't the nicest person in his younger days but he'd genuinely changed for the better. I'd always thought of Randy as something of an older brother, despite already having five of my own. So it was a great relief from the sidelong glares and hushed gossiping of the people in catering when Randy strode through the door. He scanned the room, his eyes resting on me for a moment before looking around again. Shaking his head he walked to the table where I sat alone and joined me.

"Looking lonely little Cena," He said with a smile. "You alright?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm okay."

"Okay, I've been around you and your brother long enough to know that's Cena-speak for things are fucked up," Randy frowned. "Did that dude hurt you?"

I grimaced. "Why do you automatically assume that it's Paul's fault?"

"Hey I've got a sister. Usually when she's pissed off her man's done something to her," Randy shrugged. "I'm just trying to rule it out from the start."

"Nice save Orton," I chuckled, dropping my fork. "No. It's not Paul. He's actually been very apologetic and wonderful. So no, it's not him. It's everyone else. I just feel so uncomfortable right now. Everyone's _staring_ at me. Victoria called me a fucking traitor! It's not like everyone didn't know about Paul and I... now it's like they're all judging me about it."

"Whoa, wait. Who called you a traitor?" Randy asked.

"Victoria," I laughed softly at Randy's confused look. "Alicia Fox."

"Oh," Randy snorted. "I honestly wouldn't worry about her. You've got way more to offer than her honey, she shouldn't even be on your radar. As far as everyone else goes. Who gives a fuck what they say? You're your own woman, Arianne. There shouldn't be a reason for you to bother with them and their opinions that don't even matter. What goes on between you and your boyfriend shouldn't be of any concern to them."

"You're a lot smarter than you let on, Orton. You know that, don't you?" I smiled.

"Of course. If I let everyone know my secrets I'd be up shit creek without a paddle, girl. Now, don't worry about all these people," Randy gestured around the room. "What they think doesn't matter. If they've got a problem with you then I'm sure there's three people they'll have to get through before they can get at you."

"Three?"

"Yeah. John, Paul, and me." Randy replied.

I blushed. "Thanks, Randy. It means a lot to me," I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, biting my lip. "So... you don't hate Paul?"

Randy's eyes turned that Viper cold for a split second. "I didn't say that."

"Randy..."

"I don't like the guy if you want me to be completely honest," Randy said bluntly. "This is my company. Our company. I've lived and breathed this industry since I was a kid. What those guys did last night was wrong. That ring to us is something sacred, and you don't disrespect it that way. They did what they had to do but they did it wrong. Being in that ring is a privilege not to be taken for granted. I've learned that over the years. They're changing the way we're all going to look at rookies for a really long time. If that's what they're capable of. What's next? What the hell are they going to pull?"

I let my shoulders fall, sighing. "I don't know, Randy. I really truly don't."

Randy patted my hand. "Just watch out for yourself, okay kid?"

"I will. Thanks, Randy."

"Any time little Cena," He smiled, standing up. "Wanna get outta here?"

I looked around and found a few less than friendly faces and nodded. I grabbed my mostly finished plate and tossed it into the nearest trashcan and walked out the door with Randy. We stayed side by side until we reached the Women's lockeroom. I hugged Randy tightly and headed into the lockeroom to get ready for my match that night. House show matches were usually a great time. For me, it felt like a slightly more intimate setting to interact with the fans.

House show matches were a lot less heavy then taped shows. Since we weren't performing for the cameras, improvisation in the ring was encouraged a little more. Improvisation was one thing, and I dealt well with it, but Victoria made our match that night a complete joke. She hardly sold my best moves and over-sold ones with little impact. She determined for herself to scrap the ending we'd agreed on in our less than friendly conversation before the match began. I had to think quick on my feet to salvage the ending and still make it look good.

Once I was behind the curtain and away from the fans, I was fuming. I didn't appreciate Victoria's actions and I planned to confront her about it until I ran into Paul. He was still dressed in street clothes and looking less than happy. I went to him and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. He smiled down at me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my hair.

"Hello, love." He said softly.

"Tell me your day has been better than mine." I mumbled into his shirt.

"I wish I could, but I can't lie to you," Paul said, sighing heavily. "Bryan's gone and apparently this isn't going to stop any time soon. The first time around, I'll admit, it was us. Now... creative wants to keep us going. That's why Stu grabbed me up before I got to say goodbye earlier. The seven of us had a meeting with Stephanie McMahon."

"What do you mean Bryan's gone?" I asked.

"They've terminated him," Paul shook his head. "Said that he crossed the line for the 'PG' television rating last night. It's rubbish if you ask me."

"That's awful. He was so good!" I frowned. "So why don't you look thrilled about this being picked up by creative."

"It's wrong. It's not the way I'd want to go about doing all this," Paul sighed. "I mean the exposure is nice and all but this is not the way I'd like to go about making a name for myself."

I squeezed Paul tightly. "I know baby. I'm sorry."

"Tell me about your day." He said.

I let him go, mad all over again and crossed my arms. "Today has been... hard. There's been a lot of stares and whispers. Lots of stupidity. Oh yeah, plenty of that. Victoria made a nice botch job out of our match tonight."

"I saw that," Paul put his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry, Ari."

"I'm just ready to get home for the next couple of days and rest," I sighed. "I can't believe how much like high schoolers people are acting."

Paul sighed softly, kissing my forehead. "I know. Let's go home, then."


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, I meant to say the chapter before, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Your comments are lovely and very motivating! I'm very glad you're enjoying the fic so far!

* * *

Paul had come to FCW in the early part of 2009. I'd been there for a few months already and when Paul arrived, sparks erupted between us immediately. We got together after almost a month of knowing each other and after six months of being together, we purchased a cute two-story house on the water in Tampa. It wasn't far from where John and his wife Liz lived. That had been one of John's hang-ups. When he learned I was moving to the Tampa area like he had, he wanted to be close to me just in case anything happened, even though I had Paul.

The backyard of our house was my favorite part. We could smell the water from all around and hear the ocean waves at night. It wasn't big or extravagant but it was a nice place for us to just lay out in the Florida sun and relax. A big wooden fence surrounded it and we had decorated it with a wonderful outdoor lawn set, loads of comfortable lawn chairs, and Paul had his dream grill on the deck and we often had friends over for parties and cookouts.

There was a beach within walking distance that Paul and I frequented when we were at home and had the time. Today, we decided to stay home and while Paul worked on making lunch on the grill, I lounged on one of the long lawn chairs in a bathing suit, hoping to get some sun. I heard my phone, on the low table next to me, buzz with an incoming message. I thought to ignore it but decided against it and picked up my phone.

_I know you're home! Call me!_ A message from my sister-in-law, Liz. Smiling, I typed back a message letting her know that I was spending the day with Paul, and offering to get together tomorrow. Instead of returning a text message, Liz called.

"Hey Ari!"

"Hey Liz, how are you?" I said.

"I'm fantastic," She replied. "So John told me you were in town. Remember what you told me last time you were home? What were we gonna do when you got back again?"

"Shopping. Right," I frowned. "I'm sorry Lizzy. Do you think we could do it tomorrow? I've got two days and I really, really need this time with Paul. Things have been so crazy at work. I promise, tomorrow we'll go all day."

"You're talking about that crap that happened on TV Monday?" Liz asked.

"Yeah..."

"I'm not mad, girl. Stop sounding all scared," Liz laughed. "I understand. Be with your man. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can all go do dinner tomorrow night?"

"I don't know how that will work out," I looked over my shoulder, lowering my voice. "John's not really high on Paul right now."

"Aww honey," Liz said softly. "Okay, I won't push then. I know how your brother is. Well I'll see you tomorrow. We'll talk, okay?"

"Okay Liz. Thanks for understanding." I said.

"Any time, sweetheart. Talk to you later." She said.

"Bye."

I hung up, dropping my phone onto the table again as I saw a shadow looming above me. I slid my sunglasses down my nose a bit and looked up. Paul was standing above me, a plate in both his hands. He was smiling as he handed me a plate that held a burger and grilled veggies. I sat up in my chair and pulled my knees up, resting my plate on them. Paul plopped down onto the chair next to me, balancing his plate on his thighs.

"Someone tracked you down already?" Paul chuckled.

"Of course," I laughed. "Liz. She wants me to go shopping tomorrow."

"That's good. I know how important it is to you to get some time with her," Paul said. "After being around all us guys all the time."

"It's important for me to spend time with you too," I said, biting into my burger. I swallowed, continuing. "Especially now. With things being so outrageous."

Paul shook his head vigorously. "No talk of that these two days, okay? I want this just to be you and I. No talk of work or anything like that. It's going to be like usual when we get to come home together."

I nodded. "You're right. Just the two of us is fine with me."

Paul smiled that lovely, warm smile and we finished eating to quite conversation and the soft radio that played in the background. After lunch, we cleaned up the dishes, cuddled up on the couch and watched a few movies. Just as the third DVD we'd put it ended, I laid my head on his shoulder, kissing his chin. Paul rested his chin on my forehead, inhaling deeply.

"You smell like sun," He whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Paul," I smiled. "So, we've got all day. What exactly do you plan on doing with me?"

"There are plenty of things I could think of," Paul laughed, hauling me into a straddle position on his lap. "However, I have something planned for us tonight."

I giggled and kissed his lips. "Oh? You do now, do you?"

"I do," Paul smiled. "Now, go upstairs and get ready. I've left something for you on the bed."

I felt giddy. Paul wasn't usually one for planning surprises, but when he did, they were always something fantastic. I kissed him again and hopped out of his lap, making a beeline for the stairs. I flung open the door to our bedroom and sitting on the center of the neatly made bed was a tall white box with a simple purple bow tied around it. I grabbed the box and resisted the urge to shake it like a kid on Christmas.

"Shower first, Arianne," Paul called from downstairs, a laugh in his voice. "Then look in the box."

I frowned, but laughed. He knew me so well. I headed to the bathroom for a shower and when I returned, I immediately pulled off the ribbon to the box. I lifted the lid, sitting it down on the side of the bed and inside, wrapped up in purple tissue paper was a yellow strapless dress made of cool satin material. My jaw dropped, it was beautiful. I held it up to myself, careful not to let my dripping hair get it wet. It fell to my knees and flared out gently at the bottom, looking like a shining bell. I laid it carefully on the bed and looked down into the box, just to see if there was anything else.

Underneath the rest of the tissue paper was a lovely pair of strappy gold colored stilettos that I'd had my eye on at a shop in California. Next to the shoes was a set of gold bangles. I made a mental note to ask either Eve or Maryse if they'd made any recommendations to Paul lately. Jewelry and shoes weren't his specialty, and those accessories matched the outfit perfectly. I headed back into the bathroom to deal with my hair and makeup. Back in the bedroom, I sprayed myself with a light perfume that Liz had given me for my birthday and got dressed. I was sliding on my shoes when the bedroom door pushed open and Paul walked in. He had a towel around his waist and his hair slicked back.

"You look stunning," He smiled. "Does everything fit okay?"

I turned in a circle, beaming. "It's perfect. Who told you what size shoes I wear?"

"Lucky guess," Paul laughed at the look I gave him. "Maryse. She's going to ask you to borrow those shoes, just so you know."

"The bracelets too?" I giggled.

"No, those I saw and thought you might like."

"Good one," I smoothed out the back of my dress and sat on the edge of the bed. "So, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. Don't be so anxious," He laughed and kissed my cheek as he passed to go to the closet. "Patience, Ari love."

I pouted but got to my feet and headed downstairs while Paul got dressed. I tidied a few things in the living room and kitchen while I waited for Paul. I was just about to sit down when he came down the stairs. I straightened up and turned towards the stairs. Paul wore a pair of khaki slacks, black dress shoes and a black button down shirt. He'd arranged his hair into that spiky sort of flattened Mohawk that I never really understood how he accomplished but he always managed to do it. Paul had spent a few years as a model and when he dressed up, oh did it show. Paul and I could be together for the next thirty years and his beauty would take my breath away every day.

"You look fantastic." I said as Paul came to me and kissed me gently.

"I don't hold a candle to you, love," He smiled. "All set?"

I nodded and grabbed my purse and we headed out the door. Ever the gentleman, Paul opened the car door for me and shut it gently after I stepped in. Once he got in and cranked the engine, we were off. One of the few things Paul and my brother had in common was American muscle cars. Both men always said there was something about feeling the powerful, animalistic growl of the engine underneath you. I had to admit, while I wasn't as big of a fan of cars as my brothers and my boyfriend, I appreciated the work that he'd put in on this 1967 Dodge Charger R/T. John was a bit jealous at first of the car, which I found laughable as I was pretty certain that he had one himself. Maybe it was because Paul had had enough down time to put into the restoration himself.

We'd been driving for about twenty-five minutes when Paul finally swung into the parking lot of a restaurant. I couldn't recall if we'd been here before but if the outside was any indication, it looked like one of those places you had to get a reservation for quite a bit of time in advance. Paul came around to my side of the car and opened the door for me, holding out a hand to help me out.

"Paul... what is this place?" I asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Your brother actually told me about it a while ago," He replied. "Dinner and dancing all in one. I figured you deserved a little fun and romance tonight."

I smiled up at him. "You are amazing. This is so perfect."

We walked into the building and inside it was large and beautiful. I peered past the coat check area on the right side and noticed the pulsing lights and thumping bass. It struck a cord deep in me. I loved music and dancing. If I wasn't a professional wrestler, I'd have taken up dancing as a profession. Dancing had been the other side of me since I was a kid. Paul gently tugged me out of my thoughts as we headed off to the left side of the building and up a short set of stairs to be seated. We sat down and ordered drinks while we looked over the menu. The restaurant half of the establishment was a beautiful place, with its deep romantic colors and thousands of flickering candles for lighting.

Paul reached across the table and touched my hand. "What do you think?"

"This place is beautiful. You are five for five on romantic surprises today, Paul Lloyd."

He smiled. "Well actually this is only say... three of five."

I raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Well, there's your lovely outfit, dinner, dancing, so I've got two left," Paul smiled. "Though I may have to do a bit of improvising for number five."

"How about I consider the shoes separate from the dress and your make number four number five?" I laughed.

"You've got a deal, love."

* * *

After we ate and took a few long minutes to chat and let our food settle, we were down on the dance floor. Paul knew that I loved to dance and he never ceased to amaze me how he kept up. We danced for hours until the club portion of the establishment was closing. By the end of the night, I'd sweated out all of the curls that I'd styled into my hair and my feet were throbbing. I kicked off my heels as soon as we got into the car. The deep rumble of the engine made me feel like I was still inside the club with the thumping bass. As we left, I vaguely noticed we were heading in the wrong direction from home.

"Honey... you know we live in the opposite direction, right?" I giggled.

"Of course," Paul smiled. "Remember? This is number five."

When I started looking around, I realized my surroundings and knew where we were headed. There was a late night coffee shop that Paul and I adored. We had stumbled upon it when we first moved to Tampa together. They had excellent coffee and also served pastries and ice cream... and ice cream sounded absolutely fantastic at this very moment. Once we arrived I shimmied my feet back into my shoes and we walked into the little cafe. There was the first time for the night that we ran into a small group of fans. After a few pictures and autographs we ordered our dessert. We took our ice cream cones outside and sat at one of the tables. Chocolate ice cream was a total weakness for me and this place had the best.

I slipped off my shoes again, resting my feet in Paul's lap. "Tonight has been completely perfect baby."

"Good," He smiled. "I'm glad."

"You know... I really don't wanna put these shoes back on. They're fantastic, but my feet are killing me." I laughed.

Paul shrugged. "So don't. The car isn't far from here."

I nodded. "That's a brilliant idea."

"You look tired," Paul said, crunching into his cone. "You going to be up to shop with Liz tomorrow?"

"Even if I'm not she'll drag me out of bed," I laughed, but meant it. Liz wasn't above bursting into my bedroom and pulling me out by my feet. "I'll be fine. You know us Cena's only need a few hours of sleep to fully function."

"You're better than me love," Paul chuckled. "I think I'll be sleeping in while you two power shop."

I laughed, and once we finished our ice cream, we finally headed home. I made a quick dash to the bathroom for a shower once we got back to the house. There was something profoundly stealthy about Paul sometimes because I didn't hear the door open, didn't hear the shower curtain so much as rustle before I felt his arms around me. I relaxed into him and he pressed his lips to the side of my neck.

I sighed softly. "Thank you for everything tonight, baby. It was absolutely perfect."

I could feel Paul's lips turn upwards against my skin and he gently kissed up from my neck to the back of my ear. "I'm glad, love. That's what I wanted for you tonight."

After Paul did a thorough job of washing us both down and even taking care to wash my hair, he wrapped me in a towel. I smiled at him, kissing him on the chin as we headed into our bedroom. I dried myself off and dug one of Paul's shirts out of the draw to sleep in. I drug a brush through my hair, working out all of the wet knots and tied it into a long braid. Paul was all dried off and in loose pajama bottoms by the time I finished and I was all too eager to get in bed and rest my feet. Paul turned out the lights and we were in bed and dozing off before I knew it. Nights like these with him where the ones I lived for. Our relationship certainly wasn't perfect, and was likely only going to get harder, but nothing changed the fact that when it was just the two of us, life was good.


	4. Chapter 4

Sometimes I forgot that John had an extra key to my house. My cell phone had been on the charger downstairs in the living room and no one ever actually called the house. I was treated to a true Liz Cena wakeup when I suddenly felt my warm bed and strong-armed boyfriend literally being pulled out from underneath me.

"Whoa Ari! Put some underwear on, kid! I just saw _way_ too much of you!" Liz laughed.

I scrambled to pull my shirt down as I untangled myself from the blankets Liz had drug me under. I dropped down on the edge of the bed and Paul didn't so much as snore at the commotion. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, trying my best to glare at Liz.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Eleven..." Liz shrugged. "Ish."

I gaped at her, looking at the clock on the bedside table. It was ten thirty-five. I groaned.

"Liz are you crazy! Why the hell are you waking me up at ten thirty in the morning?"

"Come on! You know the best time to hit the malls is when they open!" Liz laughed. "What in the world are you still doing asleep anyway? I thought all you Cena offspring were up at the asscrack of dawn."

"Not when we don't go to bed until almost five in the morning." I yawned again.

"Um, do I even wanna know why?" Liz raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," I stood up, Paul's shirt falling to my knees. "No. We went out last night. He took me to dinner, and we went dancing and had the best ice cream in the city last night. It was amazing."

"Aww, love bug," Liz gigged. "Get dressed."

I rolled my eyes and shoved her out of the bedroom. Paul was still sleeping and hadn't even moved. I sighed and headed to the bathroom for my normal morning routine. I swiped on some makeup and took my hair out of it's braid. Back in my bedroom, I dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain purple t-shirt, topping the outfit off with black ballet flats. Before I left, I crawled onto the bed, shaking Paul gently. He rolled onto his back, cracking one eye open with a huge yawn.

"You're up early." He said sleepily.

"Thank hurricane Liz for that," I laughed. "We're heading out now baby. I'll be back... eventually."

Paul chuckled softly. "Okay love. Have fun."

I kissed him gently and headed out of our room and downstairs. Liz was sitting on the couch and jumped up when she saw me. I yawned as Liz threw her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.

"I miss you, kiddo," She said, suddenly serious. "So I heard things were kinda crazy, eh?"

I sighed, grabbing my purse as we headed out the door. "I miss you too, Lizzy. And yeah, things have been a little... tense at work, to say the least."

I locked the door behind us as Liz and I headed down the driveway to her car. I slipped into the passenger seat as she got in herself and started the engine.

"Your brother went on a bit of a tirade about it last night," Liz snorted. "He's so stupid sometimes. Getting all worked up about something that already happened."

"What's he gettin' all upset for?" I groaned.

"Who _cares_," Liz said. "Your brother needs to chill out. It's business shit that he doesn't need to bring home. He loves you, Ari-kid, he's just a little upset with Paul. Going on about this whole shoulda known better crap. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, I say. You know sometimes John's full of hot air. Let him blow off the steam and he'll be back to his good old self before you can blink."

"John is the last person I need to be on the negative train," I sighed. "Things are awkward enough backstage without my own brother being down on me."

"He's not down on _you_, Ari..."

"He's down on Paul, I know. But isn't that just about the same thing?" I asked.

"No, because you and Paul aren't the same person," Liz said. "Sure, you're a couple and as a couple you are one or some Hallmark card bullshit like that, but when it all boils down to it, you're two different people. I know you love Paul, and you love your brother too, you're all just going to have to be civil and remember that you're all human beings here throughout this whole thing."

"Well Elizabeth Cena I do say that's the most studious thing you've ever said to me."

"Studious? Bitch please, I watch Dr. Phil," Liz laughed loudly, and I couldn't help but join her. "Don't worry about your stupid brother or those idiots backstage whose opinions don't matter. Paul makes you happy, be happy. It's all good."

"Thanks, Lizzy, I appreciate it."

"Any time, little sister," She grinned. "Now, forget about all the drama and let's get in some trouble."

* * *

I always had a blast whenever Liz and I had girls days on my time off. She really was like the sister I'd never had and always wanted. Growing up with five brothers wasn't exactly the easiest place for feminine nurturing but my Mother did her best. Growing up, I didn't have too many female friends. I had a tendency to stick close to my brothers, and was something of a tomboy. When John met Liz and she started to hang around the family more often, she was hell-bent on injecting me with some of her girly attitude she though I so desperately needed. Liz and I were close from the beginning, and I'd been elated when John announced he finally planned to actually marry her. That meant my best girl friend wasn't going anywhere.

Liz and I had a long day of shopping and movie-going. Coffee breaks and finally an early dinner. Paul's car was gone from the driveway when we returned to the house so Liz came inside so we could continue to talk. She kicked off her shoes by the door and headed into the kitchen as I took my shopping bags upstairs. When I came back, Liz was standing in the refrigerator, shaking her head.

"Girl you need to go shopping," She said. "This is shameful."

I tugged her out of the fridge, pushing the door shut. "Shut up. It's not like we're here and I wouldn't want all that stuff to spoil. It was always stocked when we were both in FCW and stayed here all the time."

"So what the hell do you do when you get here and are mad starving after a flight? Cos if you're anything like your brothers I know you could pack down a house after a long trip." Liz laughed.

I pointed to the pantry as I stood up on my tiptoes to get the coffee grinder out of the cabinet above the inset microwave. I poured some beans into it and got to grinding as Liz inspected the pantry.

"Someone has a sweet tooth," Liz giggled. "Are you guys sure you're in your twenties? Cos I see a lot of fruit roll-ups."

I laughed, filling the coffee maker with water and jabbing the brew button. "Paul has a massive sweet tooth. And he's strangely fascinated with those things. He eats them all the time."

"That's a weird dude you got there, Arianne." Liz laughed, leaning against the kitchen island.

"Speak for yourself," I said, putting the coffee grinder away. "You _married_ John Cena. Didn't you get off-kilter vibes from him from day one?"

"I did. And that's why I said yes." Liz smiled.

I shook my head at her, grabbing mugs, sugar, cream, and spoons for our coffee. "I'm glad you did. Otherwise I'd still be stuck with five brothers and no relief."

"Aww, kitten. You poor thing," Liz giggled. "I understand. I've got brothers too."

"I know," I said. "Now imagine having at least one or two more once I get to work."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Randy, mainly. Hennigan is kinda like a brother to me, too." I said.

"Randy Orton. That man." Liz smiled, fanning herself mockingly.

"Hmm, don't let John catch you doing that," I laughed. "You never know when the viper will strike."

Liz laughed out loud as the coffee maker started to beep. I poured some in each mug, fixing my cup and perching on one of the bar stools as Liz made hers. I inhaled deeply, taking a sip from my mug as Liz sat down across from me.

"So what else has been going on in Ari world? Besides shady characters backstage." Liz asked

I shrugged. "Same old, same old I guess. Nothing extravagant really. Paul surprised me with a really cute outfit last night but that's about the big of it."

"He shops for you? I'm jealous! John only shops for me when you tell him what I want." Liz wrinkled her nose at me.

I laughed. "That's because John has no taste or experience in women's fashion. Paul was a model for a while, he sorta understands."

"So can I ask you something?" Liz asked suddenly.

"Of course." I sipped my coffee again.

"I know I said earlier we were done with this whole topic, but I figured I'd ask you what no one else probably has yet," Liz took a drink from her mug before continuing. "How do _you_ feel about this whole thing? I'm sure it's been John this, company that. What's going on in your head?"

"That's a good question," I sighed. "I'm afraid. I'm totally petrified of this whole thing. I don't know when it's going to end or what's going to happen in the meantime. I don't know if I can take all the crap and the whispering. I've never been one for gossip, Liz you know that. And I've never been in the center of it, either. I just don't know what to do or think. I mean, it's not like Paul and I being together wasn't a secret. People seem to be more offended by the fact that I didn't dump him straightaway."

"Arianne, listen. Who cares what they think? For all you know they could be doing way worse dirt than this. Which is nothing in the wide scope of shit that people do..."

"I know I shouldn't care what they think, Lizzy, but I have to see these people all the time," I blurted. "I have to deal with them staring at me all the time and whispering. It's hard."

"It's not hard if you don't let it get hard," Liz said. "I know it sucks, kiddo but you've gotta keep your chin up. If there's any time you should tap into that Cena stubbornness it's now!"

I sniffed, not realizing that tears had started pooling up in my eyes. I rubbed them away, but not before Liz could notice. She frowned deeply, reaching over and resting her hand on top of mine.

"Oh... Ari... this is really got you shaken, doesn't it? Jeez I don't think I've ever seen you cry." She said softly.

"Not crying," I muttered, and Liz used that same gentle hand to smack mine. "Okay, fine. I am."

"Why the tears? What's wrong?" Liz asked.

"I'm just... afraid that this is going to put a major strain on me and Paul. I'm afraid that this is going to be too much for us."

"How long have you and Paul been together, Ari?" Liz asked.

"Almost two years." I replied.

"So this is the first really big thing you two have encountered," Liz said. "Naturally you're afraid. But you and Paul are tough kids. You've got a good thing going between you and you can't let this come between you guys. Be strong, girl. You'll come out of this on top."

"But what if we don't?" I sniffled.

"I'm sorry, did I just hear you doubt this thing? Did I really just hear you do that? Arianne Rosalie Cena I'm disappointed in you." Liz said, and I knew she meant business.

My shoulders sagged. "I know I shouldn't but I'm _afraid_ Liz!"

"Stop being afraid then," Liz said firmly. "Stop letting fear rule you. You know what's going to happen if you continue to let fear stay in the forefront? You two aren't going to make it. If you continue to let fear run you through this then you guys are going to dissolve. I know you don't want that. I know you love Paul and he loves you and that's the last thing you guys want to happen. But Arianne if you don't let go of this fear, you're headed for failure. It doesn't make a difference though how much I say and believe it. You have to believe it. You have to own it. Once you let go of being afraid, you'll see things change."

I was crying openly by the time Liz finished. I mopped at my eyes with a napkin, sniffling. Liz always had a way of causing breakthroughs with me. She was honest and blunt and I appreciated it. She was always there when I needed a little push in the right direction.

"You're totally right. You are so right it hurts, Liz," I said. "I can't be afraid. Paul and I are going to be fine. Things will blow over and it'll be okay."

"Exactly! Plus, you guys are in _wrestling_ for fucks sake! Someone will sleep with someone and you guys will be old news in two weeks. Forget all the haters and the shit talkers." Liz said.

I smiled weakly, drying my eyes. "Thanks Liz. I really needed that."

She grinned. "I know. You know I'm always here for you, Ari."

I smiled back and took a long drink from my mug just as I heard the front door open. Paul's keys clattered as he dropped them on the table by the door. I heard him sigh heavily as he peeked into the kitchen. He had a look of curiosity on his face as he approached us and kissed my cheek, then Liz's.

"Everything alright, ladies?" He asked.

"Mmhmm, we're fine," I said. "Just having a little bit of heart to heart talk."

"You look rather frustrated," Liz said. "Everything alright with you?"

Paul sighed. "I'm alright I suppose. Stu rang earlier and it was just a frustrating conversation so I figured I'd go and work out a bit. Just too distracted I guess."

I wrapped my arm around Paul's waist, resting my head on his stomach. "I'm sorry, baby."

He kissed my hair. "No worries. So did you two have a good day?"

"Oh definitely," Liz said. "What won't be a good day is when the credit card statement comes and I've gotta hide that from the hubby."

I laughed. "I told you not to get those shoes."

"But they're so _hot_!" Liz griped.

"They had a hot price tag, too! Two hundred and thirty dollars for pair of shoes! You're crazy!" I laughed.

Liz laughed, draining her mug. "Well lovebirds. I'm gonna head home. It's been a long day and I think my bathtub is calling my name," Liz stood up and hugged us both. "Ari, it's always great, my dear. Call me if you need me okay? Paul, good seeing you again."

"You too, Liz." Paul smiled.

I got up and walked Liz to the door, giving her one last squeeze. "Love you, Liz. I'll call you when we get to the venue tomorrow."

"Okay girl. Love you too."

She smiled as she headed out the door and I waved as she got into her car. Closing the door I went back to the kitchen, pouring out the rest of my coffee and setting the mugs in the sink. Paul went to sit on the couch, and I joined him, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked.

He shook his head. "We're not talking about work until tomorrow, remember?"

"But it's bothering you, Paul," I said softly. "Talk to me."

He groaned. "It all just feels so sudden and forced. This isn't the way I'd do things, you know that. They want this whole NXT rebellion to be such a big thing. I just have a feeling that we're going to be doing a lot of things that aren't going to be favorable."

I kissed his jaw gently. "I understand baby. You're a good guy, naturally. Doing this heel thing isn't normal for you."

"It goes directly against how I feel," Paul said. "I've got such a great respect for this business and everything it represents. I don't think this is the best way to get noticed but in the same breath, it'd be completely idiotic of me to shut the door in the face of an opportunity, but I'm afraid of the reputation to be gained from this."

"It's such a conflict," I sighed. "But we can't dwell on it, ya know? Like Liz told me earlier, if we continue to fear then we're going to be setting ourselves up for failure. We just have to know that everything will be alright in the end."

Paul kissed my temple, squeezing me close to him. "I love you, Ari. Thank you for keeping me positive."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for doing the same. We'll be okay, baby."


	5. Chapter 5

When we arrived at the arena in Charlotte, North Carolina for RAW the next day, it was Heath this time who met us just minutes after we walked in the door. He grinned at me, pushing his hair back out of his eyes as he often did.

"Hey Arianne," He drawled. "Hate to be a buzzkill but do you mind if I steal Pauly for a bit? I promise I'll have him back before you can blink."

I rolled my eyes and gave Paul a squeeze. "No worries. I'll see you later, babe."

Paul kissed my temple and grudgingly headed off after Heath. I dropped my bags off in the Women's lockeroom but didn't bother to stick around. Victoria was sitting there along with Brie and Nikki and neither of them seemed to want my company. I headed towards the catering room and peeked in, hoping to find a friendly few faces. I spotted Randy sitting at a table with John Hennigan and twins Jonathan and Josh Fatu, better known as Jimmy and Jey Uso. I approached them cautiously. I knew there wouldn't be a problem with John, but the Fatu brothers were a different story. I knew them well enough from our mutual time in FCW but everybody's tunes seemed to be changing recently.

Randy smiled as he noticed me coming towards them. John grinned eagerly and waved me over. The brothers acknowledged me quietly as I sat down next to Randy but otherwise clammed up. Randy tossed an arm around me and gave me a squeeze, I smiled at him, hugging him back.

"How's it going, RKO?" I said, then smiled at the others. "Guys. Jimmy, Josh, it's been a while."

Josh nodded at me, while his brother said. "How you feeling little momma?"

"Not super but not horrible. Can't complain much, I guess," I smiled at them, then looked to John. "I'm surprised you aren't out using the arena as a jungle gym."

He laughed. "Oh I will be, but I gotta fuel up first, ya know."

Randy squeezed me. "Hey, I know you just sat down but can we go talk for a second?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure."

Saying goodbye to the rest of the guys, Randy and I headed out of catering. I glanced over at him and he looked uneasy. That was something I hadn't ever seen out of Randy Orton.

"Randy, are you okay? You look... worried." I said.

"I am," He admitted. "A little. Have you seen what the Nexus is gonna do tonight?"

"The Nexus? What the hell is the Nexus?" I asked.

Randy raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been here today?"

"Paul and I had just got here when I came down to catering," I said. "Heath came to find him when we got here... I guess that's what it's all about."

"Yup. They're called the Nexus now, and they're gonna be causing a whole lot of destruction." Randy said.

"Have you heard they let Bryan Danielson go?" I asked.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I wasn't sure if it was true or not though."

"It is. Paul told me after the house show the other day. Apparently what he did was too much for the 'PG' rating." I scoffed.

Randy snorted. "PG and wrestling just don't go together. Do you know how much more we could do if we weren't bound to that?"

"You mean how much more of a psychopath you could be?" I laughed.

Randy pushed my shoulder jokingly. "Shut up. But you know I'd be amazing if I could be extra crazy."

"No you're not cocky at all, Randy." I smiled.

"Come on, who do you think you're talking to, little Cena? I was born like this." He laughed.

"Well I guess I should go find out what the hell is going on tonight," I sighed. "I just don't feel like this is going to get any better any time soon."

"Or I could just tell you," Randy shrugged. "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't get dragged into it, that's what matters."

"But I've already been dragged into it. In case you haven't noticed, people I've never had a problem with before in this company look at me like I'm a leper now. Victoria tried to destroy our last match. All because of me and Paul." I frowned.

"Maybe that's something to think about then, Ari." Randy said cautiously.

"I'm gonna pretend that you're not implying what I think you're implying." I said.

"Why? It's just gonna make you miserable, Arianne."

"I am not breaking up with my boyfriend because of judgmental coworkers," I snapped. "I can't believe you'd even suggest that, Randy."

"Okay, okay, okay. I take it back, geez." Randy said. "I just want what's best for you, Ari."

"I appreciate that, Randy, but that is totally out of the question right now." I said.

"Right now?" Randy raised an eyebrow.

"Stop," I held up a hand. "Don't go there."

"Okay, okay. I'm done. Now can I fill you in on tonight?" Randy asked.

"I suppose," I crossed my arms jokingly. "As long as you're definitely done with the insinuations."

"I told you I'm done, Ari," Randy frowned. "Anyway. You know how Bret Hart is the GM of RAW, right?"

I nodded. "Right."

"Well, apparently this Nexus group is going to attack him and do some serious damage," Randy shook his head. "I mean things we haven't seen on RAW in years."

"Seriously?" I swallowed hard.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Ari," Randy sighed. "And it's only the beginning. This Nexus thing is apparently spreading like wildfire through creative and they're really high on it right now. Expect them to be around for a long time."

I sighed, leaning against Randy's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me, giving me a squeeze. "I feel a lot of stress coming on these next few months."

"Well, I'm here for you, if you ever need me, Ari. You know that, right?" Randy said.

I nodded, turning into his chest and wrapping my arms around his waist. "I do. Thank you, Randy."

Randy kissed the top of my head and ruffled my hair. "Oh, and did I mention that you and Eve were having a match against Maryse and Victoria?"

I groaned into Randy's chest. "Man I really hope Eve will want to be in the ring with her because I really don't wanna deal with her shit tonight. Especially not on camera."

I pulled back from Randy and sighed heavily. He gave me a small smile. "Sorry. You'll be fine. Don't worry about her, just do your thing."

"Thanks Randy," I said. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Later, Ari."

I waved at Randy as I headed back to the Women's lockeroom. Eve was the only diva in the lockeroom this time when I came in. She and I had a chat about our match later before I changed into my ring gear and touched up my makeup for the night. Eve and I tracked down Maryse - who was cooperative the whole time - and Victoria, who hardly seemed interested, to put together the other half of our tag match. Once we were done, I was off to find Paul. I wandered the arena until I happened across a room with a big black and gold N insignia on the door. Nexus - it had to be. I sighed, knocking on the door and praying that Paul would be the one to open it. A moment later, the door swung open and Heath was behind it. He smiled at me, shaking his red hair out of his eyes as he normally did.

"Arianne! Hey girl!" He said brightly.

"Hey, Heath," I smiled. Heath was a good enough guy, but sometimes his energy was overwhelming. "Is Paul in there?"

"Yup, hang on a sec," He pushed the door slightly closed and called out: "Pauly! Door for you, man!"

I shook my head as I heard a rustling around in the room. Paul came to the door, looking quiet and solemn. I frowned and held out my hand to him. He laced his fingers through mine as we headed away from the lockeroom door. We stopped a little ways from the lockeroom and I hoisted myself up onto one of the equipment boxes. Paul leaned against my knees, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist.

"What's the matter, baby?" I asked.

"You won't believe what we're meant to do tonight," Paul said softly. "It's awful."

"Randy told me it was going to be pretty... serious. Like things we haven't seen on Raw in years."

"Well he wouldn't be wrong," Paul said sourly. "It's nothing anyone could be proud of. For the sake of television or not."

"I'm sorry, baby," I frowned and laid my head on his shoulder. "I wish you didn't have to do these things."

"Me too, love, me too." Paul sighed heavily. "So how has your day been?"

"Pretty uneventful," I shrugged. "I'm teaming up with Eve tonight for a match against Maryse and Victoria. Aside from Randy filling me in on everything, it's been a pretty quiet day. I haven't even seen my brother."

"I saw him earlier, briefly. I suppose I'm still not someone he wants to speak to."

"Don't worry about that." I kissed his cheek. "Things are gonna be okay. You still believe me, right?"

"Of course I do, Arianne." Paul said, and his tone was a little sharper than normal. I winced.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just frustrated at things," Paul said. "I shouldn't take things out on you. I'm sorry."

I smiled gently at Paul, running my fingers through the long part of his hair in the front. "It's okay. The show is gonna be starting soon, so I'll let you go. Things are going to be fine. Don't stress, okay? I love you."

Paul nodded and kissed my forehead gently. "I love you, too."

I gave him a squeeze and Paul headed back towards the Nexus lockeroom. I hopped down from the box I sat on and headed towards the Women's lockeroom. This most certainly wasn't an episode of RAW that I was looking forward to. I couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was that Nexus was going to be involved in tonight. Everything I'd heard had been void of details and both Paul and Randy seemed reluctant to admit what exactly it was.

The arena became more and more electric as the evening wore on. Everyone was excited for the night to come, whether they knew or not what was going on later in the evening. As the show opened, the fierce group of NXT rookies introduced themselves as the Nexus and refused to apologize for the heinous attacks of the week before. Furthermore, they demanded that they were all given WWE contracts, along with Wade Barrett, who'd earned it by winning season one of NXT. Current general manager Bret Hart had a different idea. Bret fired Wade Barrett and threatened to have the rest of Nexus arrested if they didn't leave the premises. My match with Eve against Maryse and Victoria was third out of the box tonight. Eve and I were set and ready when it was time to go, standing by the curtain. Eve's music kicked in and it was time to leave all of the personal craziness behind and turn into that bright and upbeat character of Ari Rose.

* * *

"The following Diva's contest is scheduled for one fall. First, making their way to the ring, the team of Ari Rose, and the WWE Divas champion, Eve!"

The two divas posed at the top of the stage before bouncing down the ramp, giving high-fives to the crowd. They got into the ring and posed on the ropes, Eve showing off her Divas championship. Then, Alicia Fox's music started and she and Maryse appeared.

"And their opponents, the team of Maryse and Alicia Fox!"

The opposing Divas strode down the ramp, ignoring the fans, they got into the ring. Maryse flipped her hair while Alicia posed at the ropes. The two sets of Divas took their corners and Ari Rose started off the match against Maryse. Maryse gave Ari her usual talk-to-the-hand gesture as she flipped her hair again. When she straightened up, Ari landed a kick to her midsection and threw her into the ropes and hit her with a flying clothesline. Maryse scrambled up to her feet while Ari came at her again with another clothesline and followed it up with a lightening quick elbow drop. Ari rolled into a cover but Maryse kicked out before two. On their feet again, Maryse ducked a left hand by Ari and followed it up with a slap across the cheek. Ari answered with an elbow smash to the side of Maryse's head. Ari Irish whipped Maryse into the ropes again and as she came back, hit her with a powerslam. Ari hooked Maryse's leg for a pin but Alicia came in and broke up the pin with a hard stomp.

Ari glared at Alicia and as she went to pick Maryse up, the French Canadian diva hit her with a sit-out jawbreaker. Ari hit the mat, clutching her jaw and Maryse gave her a stomp to the midsection and went for a leg drop but Ari rolled to the outside of the ring. Frustrated, Maryse tagged in Alicia who dropped down off the apron and went to grab Ari but she countered with a kick to the stomach and rolled Alicia into the ring. Ari climbed onto the ring apron and hit a slingshot flipping leg drop on Alicia, going for a pin. Alicia kicked out and Ari got her to her feet and dragged her over to the corner, tagging in Eve.

Eve came in on fire with several forearms to Alicia's head. She took her over quickly with a suplex. Eve went for a quick pin but Alicia kicked out again. Eve picked her up but Alicia hit her with a forearm to break it up and whipped her into one of the corners. Alicia smashed Eve with a clothesline into the corner and then took her over with a snapmare, locking in a sleeperhold. Eve fought out of the submission, getting back to her feet and breaking Alicia away with a few elbows to the stomach. Just as she thought she had Alicia, she was grabbed by the hair and slammed down to the mat. Alicia waited as Eve got to a knee then performed her signature scissors kick. Alicia went for a pin but Eve got her foot up on the rope, breaking the count. Alicia complained to the referee and Eve got back to her feet and hit Alicia with a DDT. Eve headed up to the top rope to and hit a moonsault. Eve hooked Alicia's leg and Ari came in to hold off Maryse who attempted to break up the pin.

"Here are your winners, the Ari Rose and the WWE Divas Champion, Eve!"

* * *

After my match I was anxious to find out what was going to happen for the rest of the night. After I cleaned up, I parked myself in front of one of the closest monitors. Co-workers were in and out and Maryse even came to sit with me for a while as we watched. I saw Paul out of the corner of my eye, standing amongst his Nexus cohorts. They were all dressed in black t-shirts with black armbands around their right arms. The big N in the middle of their chests made them all look like superheroes of the darkest kind. They were all standing there, talking and then suddenly, they turned and left as one. My gut twisted, I was not ready for what was about to happen.

A handful of other WWE Superstars had come to stand by the side of my brother against the Nexus threat and successfully chased them out of the building. Later that night, general manager Bret Hart decreed that due to the magnitude of the main event, he wanted some extra security against the Nexus, just in case they got bold and decided to come back. Most, if not all, of the RAW lockeroom stood atop the stage to guard the integrity of the tag team match between John and Randy and Edge and Sheamus. During the match, there was a commotion that drew camera attention to the backstage area. The rookies were back and tearing things apart.

From where I sat, I could hear the yells and clattering of God-knows-what hitting the concrete floors. My jaw dropped with my eyes glued to the monitor. Stu and Ryan "Skip Sheffield" Reeves were dragging the legendary Bret Hart across the floor. Bret looked haggard and battered as the rookies drug him towards a waiting limousine in the parking lot. They shoved him inside and Stu proceeded to signal to the driver. Staged or not, I couldn't believe what happened next. The limo driver sped into car after car, into pillar and wall as the rookies yelled as if they were at a great sporting event. Stu ordered the driver to stop and pulled Bret out of the back of the limo, demanding that he overturn his decision and give the Nexus their contracts. When Bret bravely refused, the rookies shoved him back into the limo and ordered it to continue.

I felt tears in my eyes despite myself, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I scrambled out of my seat, turning to see my brother behind me. I threw my arms around his neck and he nearly fell back with the force of me.

"Jeez Ari-kid! You alright."

"Oh God, John, that was awful!" I wailed. "I know it's staged and everything but my goodness just to see that! I just can't believe it."

John hugged me gently. "I know, kiddo. I know. But you gotta remember not to take these things to heart."

"I know and I'm not trying to but... I just never imagined it would be something like this," I pulled away from John and sighed. "Randy was right. We haven't seen anything on RAW like this in a long, long time."


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you upset with me?" Paul asked quietly as we headed into the hotel room.

The ride back to the hotel had been silent and awkward at best. Though I knew it was a scripted thing, I'd been angry when Paul came around the corner and into the area of catering where I was standing with John, crying like an idiot. I was angry because Bret Hart was a legend of our business and to witness him be treated that way was sickening. I was angry because all anyone would tell me all night was that it was going to be unlike things we'd seen on RAW in years. I certainly wasn't prepared to see that. Finally, I was angry with myself for being so sensitive to all of this. I sighed and sat my bag in a corner, crawling onto the bed. Paul watched me, his eyebrow raised slightly, I stretched out my arms, waving for him to come over. He climbed onto the bed with me and I laid my head on his chest.

"I'm not upset with you, Paul," I said softly. "I'm more upset with myself for _getting_ upset about things like this. I mean I've been around this business for long enough to know not to be bothered by things that happen in storyline. But I guess since no one wanted to tell me exactly what was gonna happen... I got caught off guard. It's not easy to see."

Paul twirled my hair around his fingers and kissed the top of my head. "I'm sorry. I should have told you but I didn't want to frighten you..."

"Paul you don't have to protect me from stuff like that," I said. "I understand its not exactly something to brag about but a heads up would have been better."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out. I'm surprised Randy didn't tell you." Paul said testily.

The tone of his voice made me sit up. I glared at him, crossing my arms. "What's that supposed to mean, Paul Lloyd?"

Paul sat up as well, giving me a sour look. "You guys spend a lot of time together..."

"Because Randy is like my brother," I snapped. "Oh please don't even tell me this is where you're going with this! I can't take this again today."

"What do you mean _again_?" Paul snapped.

"No, you know what Paul I'm not going to argue with you, okay? I'm gonna go downstairs and let you get your brains back because there's no reason for us to be fighting or for you to be having these bullshit jealous thoughts about me and Randy Orton," I said sharply, grabbing my phone and purse. "You give me a call when you've got yourself sorted out, okay?"

"Arianne wait..."

I didn't bother waiting to hear what Paul had to say and walked out the door. Sighing heavily I headed towards the elevator. I jabbed the up button, intending to go and talk to John for a while. I got off on the tenth floor and knocked on the room I knew was John's. It took a few minutes but John answered the door. The room was dark and he looked tired.

"Hey Ari-kid." He said sleepily.

"Hey," I said. "Go back to sleep, you look tired."

"Nah girl, you need something? It's all good." John yawned.

"No, no. I'm fine. You go back to sleep," I smiled and kissed my brother's cheek. Ill call you in the morning."

"Alright, kiddo," John smiled. "Stay outta trouble."

I laughed and waved as John shut the door. I sighed and headed back towards the elevator, not knowing where to go. I contemplated calling Liz but then realized she'd probably be asleep. I stepped onto the elevator as it came up to my level and rode it down to the lobby. I walked around a bit before out of the corner of my eye, I saw Randy in the fitness room. I pushed the door open and he was the only one in there. I could hear the music from his headphones and didn't quite know how to get his attention so that he didn't fall off the treadmill. I dropped my purse in the corner and sat down on one of the workout balls. After a few minutes, Randy seemed to snap out of his workout zone and spotted me. He took his headphones out and slowed the treadmill until he could stop and step off.

"Hey Ari. What's up?" He said, throwing a towel around his shoulders.

"Nothing," I sighed. "What's up with you?"

Randy shrugged. "Last minute cardio before calling it a night. What brings you down here?"

"Me and Paul had a little... disagreement," I said carefully. "I left cos I didn't want to argue with him."

Randy raised an eyebrow. "A disagreement?"

"It was nothing big... he's just so frustrated with everything and got a little... snippy with me," I shrugged. "He apparently thinks that you and I spend 'a lot of time' together."

Randy laughed. "Oh shit, really? Okay seriously. I love you and all Ari but it's not like _that_."

I rolled my eyes. "He's being stupid. I told him you're like my brother. You always have been."

That last statement was a little shy of the truth. I'd had a big crush on Randy Orton when I first met him. Those days, however, were ones Randy at this point in his life wasn't proud of. He was a bit of a disrespectful wild child. He'd gotten suspended a few times and was known for his less than savory behavior. Randy had shaped up since then, and though he'd be the first to admit he'd never be a model citizen, he was leaps and bounds better than he was before. Before I met Paul, I'd been drawn to Randy's typical 'bad boy' persona. Something about him was outrageously attractive. Between the deep rumble of his voice, the steel blue eyes, and it didn't hurt that he was built like he'd fallen from Olympus itself. At that point, though, John had basically forbidden me from dating other wrestlers... then Paul came along and all that went out the window. Honestly, I hadn't planned on listening to that rule to begin with.

Randy shrugged. "Don't worry about it, little Cena. Everything will be alright."

"You sure did change your tune," I raised an eyebrow. "What's gotten into you?"

"I'm being... what's the word..." Randy scratched his chin jokingly. "Supportive."

I stood up from the workout ball with every intention of pushing him but as I lunged towards him, Randy danced out of the way, grinning. In one swift movement, he unwound the towel from around his shoulders and spun it a few times, snapping it at me. I felt the sting of it on my left shoulder and yelped loudly. With my palms in his stomach, I gave Randy a push and he stumbled back, yelping and narrowly avoiding a pile of free weights behind him. Randy came towards me and I squealed, stepping around the workout ball I'd been sitting on and putting it between us. Randy's eyes glinted playfully as he stalked my moves, dancing with me each time I feinted left or right. I dashed to the right, my hands still on top of the ball and Randy went with me. At the last second, I checked myself, twisting to stay straight, lifting the ball and tossing it into Randy's side. The big inflatable ball knocked him off balance and he hit the floor on his rear with an 'oomph'. I laughed, punching the air excitedly. I'd outmaneuvered the Viper and it was definitely cause for celebration. I heard Randy chuckling as he got to his feet and the next thing I knew, the big blue ball was sailing towards my face. I dropped to the floor and the ball skimmed off the top of my head and bounced off the treadmills where Randy had been earlier. Randy caught the ball before it barreled into the free weights and I got to my feet. Randy picked up the ball between his arms, feinting like he was going to throw it back at me before the door to the fitness room opened. There was an irritated looking staff member standing in the doorway, one hand on his hip, the other pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Excuse me, but I'll have to ask the two of you to leave the fitness room," He pointed sharply at a sign near Randy that clearly read 'No disorderly behavior'. "No rough housing in here."

I blushed, mumbling an apology as Randy and I scooted out the door. He was grinning as the man on staff passed us, and shot us a dirty look. I pushed him again, then realized I'd left my purse inside.

"You made me forget my purse," I stuck my tongue out at him. "Go get it."

Randy's jaw dropped. "Excuse me? Go get it? I don't think so little miss."

"C'mon Randy! You got us kicked out." I pouted at him.

"No way! Go get it yourself." Randy laughed.

"Please, Randy, c'mon!"

"You are such a brat," Randy rolled his eyes. "Fine!"

I grinned as Randy ducked back into the fitness room and scooped up my purse. He held it out in front of him like it was going to bite him and I felt like I was going to fall over laughing. I snatched the bag from him and threw my arm around his waist.

"Thanks bud," I grinned. "I appreciate it."

"Such a brat, little Cena. Such a brat." He chuckled.

I squeezed him then dug into my purse for my phone. I checked my messages and there was one from Paul that read: '_I'm sorry love. I shouldn't have jumped to such silly conclusions. Please come back._' I sighed and dropped my phone back in my purse.

"Well. I'm going back upstairs. It's been real, Randy," I giggled. "Thanks for getting me kicked out of a part of a hotel. First time in my life."

"Shut up," He muttered, then hugged me and kissed my hair. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Thanks for hanging with me." I smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Any time, Ari," He gave me a small smile as I headed towards the elevator. "Night, kid."

"Night Randy."

I pushed the up button on the wall panel and watched Randy walk away. The doors swished open and I stepped on, pushing the button for my floor. I had fun around Randy, he and I joked together like brother and sister and to me, it was totally normal. To Paul, on the other hand, I assumed he found it as odd. He gave me hugs, smiled, and chaste kisses to the forehead he wouldn't dare bestow on other Divas. To me, that was just Randy and nothing was ever going to come of it but I also could understand where Paul could see that and be uncomfortable. The doors opened up again and I headed to my room, unlocking the door. Paul was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking solemn. I dropped my purse on the bed by the pillows and lowered myself down next to him. He looked over at me and smiled gently, reaching his arms out to put around me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest.

"I'm sorry, love," Paul whispered, kissing my hair. "I shouldn't have said the things I said. I've always known that you and Randy are close and nothing has ever changed. I know nothing like that would ever happen. I was being foolish."

I squeezed Paul. "It's okay, baby. I know it probably looks strange, the way Randy and I are. But I promise you that he's really just like another brother to me. I don't know how he and I got to be so close or why, but it's strictly friendship. He's taught me a lot, business wise but that's all. Randy's a friend, and a good friend. It'll never be any more than that."

"I know, love. I've always known," Paul sighed. "I feel awful for even thinking about it. Forgive me?"

"Paul! Of course, baby," I said. "There's nothing to forgive. I understand. It's okay."


	7. Chapter 7

"So if I'm correct, someone has an anniversary coming up."

I snatched John's phone from his hand. Liz was on speakerphone and he'd finally informed her that I was sitting in the room. He rolled his eyes at me and I flopped lazily into a chair in the hotel room, crossing my ankles. I tapped the button to give Liz and I some privacy, pressing the device to my ear.

"Yeah. Two whole years." I said. "It kinda snuck up on me."

"So how have things been?" Liz asked. "Still kinda crazy?"

I shrugged even though she couldn't see it. "It's just about the same as it has been. It's no better, no worse. Which is I guess as good as I can ask for at this point. After RAW a few weeks ago everyone is kind of on edge."

Three weeks ago, the juggernaut group of the Nexus took out legendary Bret Hart with a brutal joyride in the back of a limo. The week after that they attacked the chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon, ending it all with Paul's devastatingly beautiful 450 splash. Then last night's episode of RAW, the anonymous general manager ordered a truce between John and the Nexus. Things were still a little weird backstage and along with the strained atmosphere backstage, Paul seemed to get more and more irritated and snippy.

Liz snorted. "Buncha jerks. They need to get over their shit. It's all written out for you guys, this thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Well it is now, after the initial thing happened," I said. "It's all totally script now."

"Okay so then what is still all in their feelings for? I mean, as long as everything is good between you and your love muffin then what the fuck?"

I laughed out loud. "Oh Liz! Only you would say something like that."

"That's why you love me." She giggled. "So how is everything with Paul?"

I sighed, sneaking a look at John. He was looking down at the channel list for the television, not paying attention. I didn't really want to admit things were feeling more and more awkward by the day in front of him but I had been itching to talk to Liz about it.

"It's okay." I said softly.

"It's _okay_? I'm sorry I didn't think that word was in the Cena vocabulary." Liz said. "Spill."

I looked over at John again and he was staring at me, eyebrows raised. I muttered into the phone: "Later."

"Later? No, not later!" Liz paused. "Oh! I forgot you're on John's phone. Hang up and tell him I'll call him back then you call me back."

I giggled a little. "Okay."

"Deal. Talk to you in a bit."

I signed off with Liz and tossed John his phone. "She says she'll call you later."

John nodded. "Everything okay with you, Ari-kid?"

I made a noncommittal noise as I picked up my purse. "Yeah."

"You sure?" He said.

"Johnny, I'm fine. Don't worry." I said and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later, okay?"

John hugged me. One of his bone crunching hugs and he always gave me when I was younger and something was bothering me. He was suspicious but waiting for me to come to him about it. I squeezed him back and waved at him as I headed out of his hotel room. I slid my phone out of my purse, wandering down towards the elevator. I thought to go back to the room I was sharing with Paul but Stu was there talking to him about the show and Stu and I had never seen eye-to-eye. Something about his attitude rubbed me the wrong way from day one.

Stepping onto the elevator, I rode it down to the lobby and walked out the sliding doors. It was early July and the weather in Kentucky was warm but there was a gentle breeze blowing as I walked out into the sun. I dug my sunglasses from my purse and dialed Liz's number.

"Alright, now spill your dirty guys."

"Liz you are unbelievable," I laughed but it faded into a tired sigh. "Things are so weird. A couple weeks ago, Paul got on this really jealous road about me and Randy. Saying how he thought we spent too much time together. Within an hour and a half it was squashed though and he apologized and whatever. But it feels like every time I'm around Randy and Paul sees us, he's giving me this hawk-eye like he's expecting me to do something wrong."

Liz snorted. "He's stupid, Ari. I mean, I know you've had a jones for Randy since like, the beginning of time but it's not like _that_, is it?"

I sat on a curb near John's rental car, sighing. "No, not really. I like Randy a lot, I always have. I mean, he's sweet and he's fucking gorgeous but it's really not on that kinda level. I love him to pieces but not quite in the way Paul seems to think."

"I mean why does he even have the thought that something is going on between you and Randall?" Liz asked. "What in the world is going on that he could think that?"

"Nothing! It's the way it's always been with me and him! Randy has always been way more affectionate with me than he is with _any_ of the other divas. But I've also known Randy for years. He and John have been best friends since they both got here and that's that. I've been close to him for years."

"He's jealous," Liz said and I heard her moving around. "He's totally stinkin' jealous. And I mean, if I were a dude and my girl were super close with a massive Adonis like Randy, I'd be jealous too. But I'd also have enough sense to know the difference between friendship and flirting."

"He doesn't have a reason to be jealous though, Liz," I said with a sigh. "But other than that. He's just so short and snippy with me lately. With everything going on backstage and whatnot and all of this pressure they're under to keep this Nexus thing interesting and fresh, there's a lot on all of their shoulders. He just seems to be taking it out on me more often than not."

Liz groaned. "Are you serious? And you've got an anniversary coming up? And he's being a jerk like this? That's totally ridiculous. I wouldn't stand for that crap if I were you, Ari. Two years is a long time to be with someone and just because you've got something established doesn't mean he can all of a sudden get stupid and be a jerk to you. He can't get that sort of comfortable."

I sighed. "I know. I just don't know what to say to him. I hate arguing with Paul and I just don't wanna do it."

"Sometimes honey a little arguing is healthy," Liz said. "But you can't just continue to let him get all snippy and jerky to you because who knows what that would lead into. And if he gets on some dumb shit and wants to put hands on _my_ little sister. I'm gonna track him down myself and go all Triple H on his South African ass."

I laughed out loud. "Oh Lizzie. I love you so much."

"I love you too kiddo," She said. "Remember what I said. Take no bullshit!"

"I know honey," I sighed. "I'll keep you posted."

"Damn right you will!" Liz laughed. "But I'll let you go now babe."

"Okay Liz. I'll talk to you later." I said.

* * *

I'd been waiting all morning for Paul to acknowledge the fact that today was our two-year anniversary. We were heading to the arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma and he'd hardly said a word. The Money in the Bank pay-per-view had been the night before and while things regarding the Nexus hadn't been absolutely insane, Paul seemed as surly as ever about it. The car ride to the arena was quiet and tense and it wasn't like Paul to be this way or to forget something important like our anniversary.

When we arrived at the arena, I stopped Paul before we got out of the car, resting my hand on his wrist.

"Baby, what's today's date?"

"The nineteenth," He said. "Why do you ask?"

My shoulders sagged. "Is July 19th not important to you?"

"It's another day, love." Paul said.

I frowned. "Right... forget I mentioned it."

Paul squeezed my hand and got out of the car. I took a deep breath, he forgot our anniversary. It was only our second anniversary and he forgot it. I shook off the feeling of tears welling up behind my eyes and got out, closing the door a little harder than I'd meant to. Paul looked at me with questioning eyes but I put on a little smile, shrugging lightly. Paul smiled a little, shaking his head and handing me my bag from the trunk. We walked into the arena and within a few minutes we were greeted by a production assistant who was looking for the both of us. Stephanie McMahon-Levesque was here and we were being summoned to a meeting with the head of creative. I dropped my bags off at the diva's lockeroom and followed Paul as he left his in the Nexus lockeroom and we headed to Stephanie's office. Paul knocked and Stephanie called a 'come in' and he pushed the door open. Already sitting inside were the other members of Nexus and my brother. I raised an eyebrow at him and he simply shrugged with one of his usual grins.

"Arianne, Paul, thank you for coming. Please have a seat."

I picked an empty chair next to John while Paul dropped down into a seat next to Heath.

"Thank you all for joining me today," Stephanie began. "Here in the creative department we have been very impressed with the performance of Nexus in the recent months. However at this moment we feel that it's time to expand. John, as you know, you will be extended an offer to become part of the Nexus. In terms of the story, the Nexus is hell-bent on becoming the most dominating force in the company. And to cover all bases, we have decided that as a force Nexus needs to be diverse. You all bring something to the table from different styles of wrestling, however there's something that's missing. The piece of the puzzle that's missing, of course, is a diva. Nexus has repeatedly said that they want to dominate company-wide. And we've realized that they can't do that without having everyone covered, and it's only right to have a diva join the ranks, that way, Nexus really will be able to dominate in every corner of the company."

"I think that's an interesting idea, Stephanie." Stu said.

"Of course. It's been overlooked for so long that I think it's time to address it," Stephanie said. "The WWE Universe has been asking for a female member of Nexus for a while now and it's only fair that we listen. Arianne, that's where you come in."

"And what would I be doing, Steph?" I asked.

"I'm sure that you'd agree that it would be a ridiculous coup on behalf of the Nexus to have both Cena siblings among their numbers," Stephanie looked around the room at all of us. "Am I correct?"

There were murmurs off agreement and nods all around the room. One of Stephanie's trademark smirks spread across her lips.

"Good. There would be need to reveal to the general public something that honestly, in this day and age is fairly easy to find out," Stephanie said. "John and Arianne you're going to reveal that the two of you are siblings and that will, strike the interest of Wade Barrett. There will be another attempted attack on you, John, within a few weeks. So by the middle of next month that will happen. Arianne you will come out and attempt to persuade the Nexus to cease the beating. In the process, Wade will invite you, as he did John, to join the ranks of the Nexus. You will accept the offer, provided that the Nexus leave John alone. The group will agree, and you will be inducted as the first female member of Nexus."

I nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"I'm glad you think so," Stephanie said. "But not to worry because after the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in early October, John will be joining you."

"So how long will I be part of Nexus before John joins?" I asked.

"Just a few weeks," Stephanie said. "We plan to add you in mid-September so it would be about a week to two weeks at most until the Hell In A Cell event."

I nodded, sneaking a look over at Paul. Something about his posture looked irritated and the expression on his face mirrored his body language. I swung my gaze over to John and he looked excited.

"This is gonna be different," Heath piped up. "But Ari's a monster in that ring so I think it'll be fun!"

I smiled. "Thanks, Heath."

He grinned and gave me a thumbs up. Stephanie nodded in approval. "Good. I'm glad we're on board with this idea. If there aren't any questions from anyone, that will conclude this meeting. You all are free to go. Have a good show tonight everyone."

There was a murmur of unison thanks as we all stood and filed out the door. I stood by the side, waiting for Paul and John ruffled my hair as he passed. I swatted at him but he danced out of the way, laughing and headed down the hall. Paul was the second to last person out the door and I grabbed his arm gently. He pulled back, then leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"I've gotta go, love," He said quickly. "We've got a big night tonight."

I forced myself not to frown and nodded at him. "Okay. See you later."

He turned and left without a word and my heart hurt. I turned on my heel and headed outside the arena, digging my phone out of my pocket as I went. I tapped the screen to dial Lizs number and she picked up within two rings.

"Hello lovebug!"

"He forgot our fucking anniversary!" I blurted.

"Whoa, whoa! What!" Liz exclaimed.

"He forgot our goddamn anniversary," I said. "I've been trying to fish it out of him all day and when I asked if today meant anything to him he said 'it's just another day, love'. I'm so _frustrated_ with him right now! And, not to mention, they want John and I both to join Nexus."

Liz coughed. "What! What the hell is going on!"

I started pacing back and forth, running my hands through my hair. "We all just got out of a meeting with Stephanie. They want all bases covered with this Nexus thing and they've decided to add a female... me. Seeing as they've been terrorizing John since they got here, it's only sensible to have his sister join the group."

Liz was quiet for a long moment, that always made me nervous. Liz was hardly ever quiet for longer than a few seconds when it came to conversations like this. "So how's Pauly acting about that?"

"I don't know. He seemed sort of annoyed." I sighed. "I wanted to talk to him about it but he ran off after the meeting."

"Geez, Ari. I'm sorry baby," Liz said and I heard a door slam in the background. "I can't believe he would do that. And to forget your anniversary! It's only been two years! How do you forget two years?"

I sniffed. "I don't know. But I'm really annoyed with him today. This attitude he's been giving me these last few weeks has got to stop."

"Remember what I told you Ari. I mean it." Liz said firmly.

"I know sweetie," I sighed and turned back towards the building. "I'll take care of it."

"I know you will. Call me if you need anything else, alright?"

"I will," I pulled the door open, heading back to the divas lockeroom. "I'll talk to you later, Lizzie."

"Later, bug." She said.

I put my phone away and just before I walked into the lockeroom I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw Randy heading down the hall. I waved at him, heading to meet him. He hugged me when we made it to each other and I sighed against him.

"What's wrong?" Randy asked as we pulled away.

"I'm just not having a good day," I frowned. "It's my anniversary today and it seems as thought someone has forgotten."

Randy raised an eyebrow. "Now I know it's been a while since we met, little Cena but I didn't think you were keeping count. It's been what... five years..."

I laughed. "Oh Randy. You always know exactly what to say."

The Viper smiled. "I do what I can. You're a good kid, Ari. I don't like to see you look so down."

"Thanks, Randy," I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm hungry. How about you? Since my boyfriend seems to have forgotten about our anniversary..."

"I'll take you to lunch," Randy cut in. "My treat."

I smiled at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's go."

I followed Randy towards the exit, stopping by the divas lockeroom on the way to grab my purse. Randy lead the way to his rental car and opened the door for me as I slid inside. Once he was in and cranked the engine, I looked over at him.

"Thanks, Randy." I smiled. "I really appreciate this."

"Any time, little Cena. Any time."


	8. Chapter 8

Randy pulled into a parking space outside of a sushi bar we'd visited a few times in this city. We got out and headed into the restaurant where once we were seated and our drinks were ordered, Randy finally broke the comfortable silence between us.

"So. What's been going on with you, kid?" He asked.

I sighed. "I'm just a little frustrated. My boyfriend is an idiot."

Randy bit his lip. "Something I've been trying to tell you for a while now."

I tried for an annoyed look but felt myself fail at it. "Shut up."

"Just being honest," He said, chuckling. "Continue."

"He forgot our anniversary was today and has just generally been a jerk to me lately. I just don't know what to do," I blew out a breath, taking a sip of my drink. "He says it's to do with 'stress' and all of this Nexus nonsense but I just can't bring myself to keep believing that."

Randy snorted, pushing the sushi menu towards me. "I wouldn't believe that if I were you, either little Cena. There's no reason he should be taking that shit out on you, still. If he's got a problem with the business he should deal with it like a man, not put it on your shoulders."

I handed the menu to the waitress as she came back and reclined a bit in my chair. "I agree. I just don't know what to do now. I love him, Randy... but this is getting ridiculous."

Randy frowned. "I know this isn't going to be what you want to hear but you can do seriously better than this guy, Ari."

"I just wish he'd stop," I said, breaking Randy's gaze. "I just want what we had before back without all this crap. Just for us to be normal again."

"You still wanna be with this guy, Arianne?" Randy asked.

I nodded slowly. "As long as he gets himself together. If he can't do that then I don't think I can be with him anymore. I'm not gonna take that."

"Well I'm glad of that," Randy said. "I wanna see you happy, Ari. Plus, I've got your back if you need it."

I smiled. "I know you do. And thank you for that. I really do appreciate it."

"Anyway, enough of this sad stuff," Randy said, waving his hand. "Let's talk about something else."

* * *

After lunch, Randy and I headed back to the arena. We walked around the arena for a while before we finally came to a stop outside the women's lockeroom. Standing on tiptoe, I hugged Randy and he kissed the top of my head.

"Thanks for lunch," I smiled. "My treat next time."

"Nah, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let the lady pay?" Randy smiled. "My Mom would have my head."

I laughed. "You're a doll, Orton. I'll see you later?"

"Definitely. You on the show tonight?"

"I don't think so," I shrugged. "But you never know what could happen last minute, right?"

"Always," Randy laughed. "See you later, little Cena."

I hugged Randy once more, kissing his cheek. He headed off and I went into the lockeroom. The only person I spotted inside was Nattie. She was rummaging through her bag and turned around as I walked in, smiling.

"Hey girl," She said. "Paul's been looking for you."

I shrugged. "Let him look. I'm irritated with him today."

"Uh-oh. Is everything okay?"

Nattie was the most genuine girl in the RAW lockeroom. She was always sweet to me and one of the few of the girls I trusted fully. She was a friend, not as close as Liz and I were but I considered her a friend. I sighed as I sat down in a chair near her.

"Not really," I shrugged. "Things have been... weird lately. He's been really distant and kind of a jerk. Today is our anniversary... and he forgot."

Nattie frowned. "I'm sorry, hun. That's ridiculous."

"Tell me about it," I said. "That's what Randy keeps telling me. But I think he's a little biased."

"I don't mean to heap anything else on you or anything," Nattie paused, laughing a little. "But you and Randy... seriously, would be the cutest ever together."

I bit my lip, chuckling because there was only one person I'd ever told about how I felt about Randy when I'd first met him and that was Liz. I shrugged it off and said: "You're crazy, Nat."

"Just a thought," She giggled. "So, aside from boyfriend drama, what's new in your world? I feel like we don't get to talk much."

I smiled, because it really was a shame that Nattie and I didn't talk more. So I told her about all the things that were coming up for me. She returned the favor and I was excited for her to learn that a Diva's championship run was coming up in her future. If any girl on our roster deserved it, it was Nattie. We chatted a while longer before heading down to catering together. I was still full from lunch earlier but agreed to accompany Nattie while she grabbed a snack. Before we reached the room, however, I was approached by Stu Bennett, who was sporting his usual television ready half-scowl. I bid Nattie goodbye with a sigh and crossed my arms, waiting for him to speak.

"Arianne, just the young lady I was hoping to see." He said.

"Really, Stu? Because I can't honestly say the same for you." I said.

He scowled at me before continuing. "I volunteered to be the one to inform you that your entrance into The Nexus is coming a bit earlier than September. It's going to happen just before the Night of Champions pay-per-view. So unfortunately, you'll be without your brother for a little more than a month. Terribly tragic news, I know."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Really. I think I'll manage. Thanks for the heads up."

I started to walk away but Stu called out to me again.

"I just thought I'd let you know, that we do operate a certain way within the Nexus," Stu said and I turned around slowly to face him again. "We're all on the same page, at all times. While it's quite clear by the way both of you are coming off today, that you and Paul are hardly such. I suggest that you two figure it out because the time will be here before you can blink."

I gaped at Stu, anger boiling up in me. "I... I can't even believe you would say that to me. I... am going to pretend that half of the conversation never happened because quite frankly it is _none_ of your business. I have nothing else to say to you, Stu."

With that, I turned on my heel and stormed off. Since when did my personal life become something to be shared among the entirety of my future stable? Or the rest of the lockeroom for that matter, as it seems to have been since the inception of the Nexus. I walked aimlessly until I finally happened to run into my brother. Before he even spoke, he grabbed me up into a huge hug. I squeezed him back. I needed that hug at that very moment. I needed my big brother to be just that and not say a word. Just to squeeze me like he was holding me to the ground and keeping me there. I felt tears start to form and let them fall. I'd felt this building up for weeks and was glad that it was John here to comfort me and not anyone else. Before I knew it, I felt the ground being pulled out from underneath me and we were moving. John had scooped me up in his arms and was carrying me. It wasn't long before I heard a door opening and closing and John sat down on the couch in his lockeroom. I wiggled onto an empty cushion and rested my head on John's shoulder, wiping my face.

"What's wrong, Ari-kid?" John asked quietly.

"Everything is just so messed up, John," I sniffled. "I just want a huge pause button and just to breathe for a minute. It all just seems like everything keeps flooding in at once. "

"What do you mean, kid?"

I sniffled and explained to John everything that had been going on since the Nexus had been formed. Everything that was said to me backstage, every good and bad time I'd had with Paul since it all started. How Liz thought he was jealous of the relationship I had with Randy. What Stu had just said to me. Everything flooded out on waves of angry, frustrated tears. Despite myself, I was nearly sobbing by the time I finished talking. John grabbed me in his massive arms, squeezing me tightly. It didn't matter to me if he didn't have the words to make me feel better, because that bone-crushing hug was enough. Being the youngest and having nothing but brothers came with its perks. Every one of them made me feel safe and loved, even if they couldn't particularly articulate the right words to make it right. I pulled back from John finally, wiping my face again. He sighed heavily, keeping one arm around me.

"I'm sorry, Arianne," He said softly. "I wish there was something more I could do to help you. I know it can't be easy to deal with all that crap."

I sniffled. "It's not. I knew it could happen but I didn't think it'd be like this, Johnny. I just want it all to go back to the way that it was when I was in FCW. When Paul wasn't acting like a jerk and no one cared that we were dating. I wish all this negativity would just disappear."

"Ari... can I ask you something?" John asked cautiously.

"Sure."

"How come you never got with Randy? He's had it bad for you since you turned eighteen," John said nonchalantly. "And you have since you met him."

I pulled out of John's grip and gaped at him. "Are you kidding me!"

"You're... mad?" John asked, a baffled expression on his face.

"No! I'm confused! You would have _slaughtered_ me if I dated Randy three years ago," I blurted. "You were the one who expressly _forbid_ me for going out with him! Or any other wrestlers for that matter!'

"Well see how that turned out." John muttered.

"Oh and I'm going to _kill_ Liz! I can't believe she told you that," I ranted. "And what do you mean Randy's 'had it bad' for me?"

"First, please don't kill my wife, that's not okay. Second, I've known Randy since he got here, alright? He's one of my best friends. We talk. He's told me about it."

I deflated, falling back into the couch cushions. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I figured you two would have worked that out," John shrugged. "Plus, you've been with Paul for the last year or something."

"Two years," I corrected. "Not that it matters or anything though."

John frowned. "I know it's a big thing, Ari, and I'm sorry that jerk forgot. But... look, as your brother I gotta say. You can do much better than this clown."

I laughed humorlessly. "You're not the first person to say that to me today."

"Really?"

"Randy said the same thing," I sighed. "But now I think it means a little more to him than it does to you."

"It means the world to me to see you happy, Arianne," John said. "Whether it's if you sort things out with Paul or it ends up someone else. I just want you to be absolutely happy. You're my baby sister and that's all I ever want for you."

John ruffled my hair and kissed my forehead. I sighed. "Do you think I should break up with Paul?"

"Ah, I can't tell you that, Ari," John said. "That's a decision you have to make all on your own."

"I know, I just figured I'd ask your opinion." I said.

"I want you to do what feels right for you, kid. If that's what will feel right and what makes you happy then do it," John said firmly. "If sticking it out with him is what's gonna make you happy then do it. As long as you can stand by your choice, do what feels right to you."

I hugged John tightly. "Thanks big brother. I really needed this."

* * *

After the event tonight, I headed to the hotel after getting a ride with John. I was half-way through checking into my room when Paul finally caught up with me. I felt a hand on my hip and just about jumped out of my skin at the reception desk and turned to see Paul behind me. I glared at him, taking my room key from the clerk and thanking him. I planned to ignore him and go to my room and relax before bed but he followed me to the elevator. I turned to face him, sighing heavily.

"Do you want something, Paul?" I asked sharply.

"I've been looking for you, love."

"Do you know what today is yet?" I said.

"Why do you keep asking me that, Arianne?" Paul said.

"Because until you can answer me then I don't want to talk to you anymore today," I said, jabbing the 'up' button for the elevator. "If you can forget something like this than I don't even know what to say."

"What in the world are you getting so worked up for," He said, voice rising. "You act as if I've forgotten something so direly important that it's going to upset the balance of the universe if I don't remember!"

"No, it won't, but obviously it's upset me. But you can't be bothered to try and figure it out," The elevator dinged behind me and I stepped on, leaving Paul in the hallway. "Please get your own room tonight. I'm really fed up with you and your crappy attitude today."

The elevator doors closed on Paul's puzzled and angry looking face. I pushed the button for my floor and leaned against the wall. I hated fighting with Paul, because despite how annoyed I felt with him, and how unsavory his attitude had been the last few weeks, I loved him. I had a lot to think about when it came to our relationship, but I still loved him and that was making things hard.

I stepped out of the elevator and unlocked the door to my room. Dropping my bag by the bed, I dropped down onto it, sighing loudly. Before I could get too comfortable there, my phone rang from inside my purse, the ringtone telling me it was Paul. I ignored it and went to the bathroom for a shower. By the time I returned and finally checked my phone, I had seven more missed calls from Paul, three text messages - two from him, one from Liz, and a voicemail. I ignored the missed calls and texts from Paul and decided to call Liz, I had a bit of a bone to pick with her.

"Hello!"

"Why in the world did you tell John about Randy!" I blurted out.

"Oh," Liz said. "Bug I'm sorry! We got on the topic of it once, forever ago. I honestly didn't think he'd remember. Why did he say something?"

I explained to Liz what I'd been through today and how the topic of Randy was brought up between John and I. "So he says Randy's 'had it bad' for me since I turned eighteen."

"Well I can't vouch for all that," Liz said. "But I think he likes you more than just a little sister."

"I don't wanna handle this right now, Lizzie," I sighed. "I'm just so frustrated with everything right now and Paul is _calling me again_! This makes the ninth time he's called me in the last hour after I've told him I don't want to speak to him."

"Ouch, no even talking to him," Liz said. "Is it that bad, Ari?"

"Today, yes. I just want everything to go back to normal, Liz."

"Sounds like you've got a heavy decision on your hands sweetheart."

"I know, and it's not a decision that I particularly want to make," I sighed. "Especially since we're _really_ going to be working together in the next few weeks."

"Ari, you've gotta do what's best for you sweetheart. I just want you to make a good decision. Don't sit and take bullshit, Arianne. Seriously." Liz said.

"I know, and I won't. I just have a lot to think about."


	9. Chapter 9

I avoided Paul for an entire week. I traveled with John, which despite the fact that I was dodging my boyfriend, was a nice change of pace. John and I had always been close, despite an eleven year age difference between us. It was nice to travel with my brother. We didn't often have the chance to do so but I always had fun being with him on the road. Traveling with John, however, also meant that I was around Randy more often, as the two of them were often road buddies. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if John hadn't kept shooting us surreptitious looks every time Randy and I were together. I wouldn't have been so bothered by that, either, if what John had said wasn't constantly in the back of my head.

When Monday finally came around again, I arrived in the Women's lockeroom, there was a big bouquet of flowers sitting on a table there. Nattie and Maryse were standing on either side of it, gawking at the display. There were yellow and pink tulips along with beautiful blue irises in a bright pink vase. Dropping my bag in a corner, I joined them at the table, eyebrows raised.

"Who are these for?" I asked.

Maryse shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't here when they were delivered."

"Is there a card?" Nattie asked.

I looked through the flowers and found a little white card sticking up in the middle. I pulled it loose and my heart pounded when I saw the name on the front.

_Arianne Cena._

"They're... for me." I said slowly, opening the card.

"What's it say!" Nattie asked excitedly.

I read the card at least three times in a row, letting the words finally sink in. Nattie was practically bursting on my left side while Maryse looked on, quietly interested. Dazed, I passed the card to Nattie and inspected the bouquet more closely.

"_Ari. I'm sorry for everything. I know it's not enough and I've been awful, but I love you still. Meet me for dinner tonight? Love, Paul._" Nattie read. "Hm, well at least he's apologizing. Are you going to go?"

I sighed. "I guess so. It'd be rude of me not to if he's really trying to apologize. But I haven't talked to Paul in a week."

"Well go," Maryse said. "Just to see what he's got to say."

I nodded. "Yeah, I will. Just to see what he has to say."

* * *

I'd been fretting over going out to dinner with Paul the entire night. When I returned to the hotel I showered and debated for almost twenty minutes about what to wear and finally decided on a pair of light blue jeans, a black and white striped shirt and a pair of black peep-toe booties. I pulled the outfit together with a cropped black leather jacket and some jewelry. I left my hair straight and hanging at my shoulders, grabbed my purse and headed down to the lobby to meet Paul. I felt nervous as if it was our first date all over again. I wasn't sure how to feel going into this, whether it was going to be a genuine apology on his part, or if it was going to be another thing to add to the growing list of problems we were having.

Paul was waiting in the lobby by the time I arrived. He looked boyish and shy, wearing jeans and a button down shirt. When I approached him, he smiled a little.

"You look lovely, Arianne." He said softly.

"Thanks," I said. "So where are we off to?"

Paul only smiled and held his hand out for mine. Reluctance built up in me but I took his hand anyway. We walked out to the parking lot and Paul led me to his rental car and opened the door for me with a smile. The one I returned to him felt tight and forced but he didn't seem to notice. Once we took off, I found I didn't have much to say and the silence was deafeningly awkward. Paul had reached over to take my hand but I didn't notice until he'd pulled it away, clearly thinking I was ignoring him.

"Thank you for the flowers," I said. "They were beautiful."

"You're welcome, love." Paul said, and looked over at me as we paused at a stop light. "I know things have been... strained lately, and I'm sorry for that."

"Paul... do you have any clue yet why I kept asking you last week if you knew what the day was?"

"Are you still upset over that?" He asked, pulling forward as the light changed to green.

"I'm a little upset that you forgot our anniversary, yes," I said. "I thought that would be important to you."

Finally, Paul had the grace to look ashamed. He sighed heavily, frowning and glanced over at me.

"Arianne I'm sorry," He said. "I can't believe I forgot something like that. That's utterly ridiculous of me. I hope I can make it up to you."

'We'll see'

was on the tip of my tongue but I swallowed it back and nodded. "Sure. Just... let's try not to forget anything else important like that, okay?"

Paul nodded once, taking a right turn into the parking lot of a small restaurant. The place looked like a wooden cabin and was illuminated solely by dozens and dozens of little twinkle lights. Paul reached back for my hand as we walked to the restaurant, I pretended not to notice until I nearly tripped on one of the stones that made up the walkway. He looked over his shoulder at me with a smile when I finally grabbed his hand and he pulled the door open for me. We were seated within a few minutes and our drink orders were taken soon after. The silence between Paul and I was an awkward worth cringing over. It took everything in me not to get out my phone and text John to come pick me up.

"Arianne... I just want... I really want to apologize for what's been going on over the past few weeks," Paul started. "I know things have been strained and it's been really uncalled for. I'm sorry that things have been this way."

"Paul you've been apologizing for this over and over again and yet it still keeps happening. I don't... I don't know how many more times I can listen to this. I want to believe you. I want to see things change."

"And they will, love! You just have to trust me..."

"I hear you saying that Paul... I'm just having a hard time actually trusting you right now," He opened his mouth to argue but I held up a hand. "This is the first time you've given me a reason to be upset with you to this extent. You've also not given me a reason to feel distrust in you until now. What upsets me isn't even so much about our anniversary anymore... it's remembering that you don't seem to trust me when it comes to Randy. You've known what my relationship with him was like from the beginning and for you to even question that at this point was beyond me. I don't want that to be a constant thing that keeps coming back at me when you know there's nothing going on."

"Then maybe it's my fault for misinterpreting things, but it does get to be a little disconcerting over time to see how close the two of you are," Paul said, brushing a stray strand of hair off his forehead. "I don't see him act that way with anyone but you... it's just strange to me."

"I feel the need to mention that you're hardly ever there when I'm around Randy as it is," I said, sipping my drink. "Every time we get to the arena one of the Nexus guys comes and whisks you away and I don't see you until the end of the night."

Paul started to reply but the waiter approached our table and asked for our entree orders. Once we gave them and he collected our menus and was out of earshot, Paul continued.

"That's something you're going to have to get used to," Paul said. "Stu is a bit of a stickler when it comes to meeting and being with the group."

I scoffed. "I'm glad he takes his job seriously but that's not happening. I may not have many friends backstage right now but I do have somewhat of a social life and I don't plan on dropping that just because of some controlling asshole who wants to batter into my head things I already know," I took another sip of my drink. "I don't appreciate Stu prying into our personal life either, by the way."

"What do you mean?" Paul asked.

I explained about the encounter I'd had with the Nexus leader a week ago. "I just think it's a little disrespectful to approach a girl like that about her love life."

Paul frowned. "I'll talk to him about it."

"I won't be controlled like I'm some kind of child, Paul. You of all people should know that." I said.

He gave a stiff sigh. "Yes, of course I do, Arianne."

I bit my bottom lip, trying to decide whether his remark was worth arguing over. Several strained minutes ticked by and the waiter appeared with our food. I have him a smile of thanks and we both started to eat in silence. It was only after another long stretch of time that Paul finally spoke again.

"Do you know why I feel the way I do concerning you and Randy?" He asked.

"No, I honestly don't. But it'd be nice if you would tell me." I said.

"It'd have been nice if you'd bothered to ask," Paul said sharply. "But I feel that way because it's almost as if for the first time I feel like I could lose you. Things have been so stressful between us and I feel like one wrong move or influential words could take you away from me."

I dropped my fork, sitting back in my chair. "Do you have that little faith in my willpower that you think Randy could just whisper some magic words in my ear and I'd just up and leave you? The only person that could make me leave you is _you_,Paul. I'll be totally honest with you, the thought may have crossed my mind, but _not_ because of Randy Orton. Because you haven't been the man I fell in love with as of late. You've been this strange, different version of yourself and I don't like it. Any other time you'd take this stress and let it roll off you instead of heaping it on me. I understand that this whole Nexus thing is new and crazy and they're putting pressure on you guys to keep things fresh and believable but still, you've been so unlike yourself I'm starting to think I'm the one that's losing you. Or maybe you're the one that's losing yourself."

"You've... thought about breaking things off?" Paul asked, disbelief heavy in his tone.

"Once or twice," I said. "But for my own reasons. Many of which are ones I just told you. We've never had to deal with things like this before and if this is how things are going to be when times get rough and this is only the first time? What happens if things go worse? Are we going to survive that? Are we going to survive this? I need you to prove to me that things are going to get better instead of staying on this negative path."

"How do you want me to prove these things, Arianne?" Paul asked, crossing his arms. "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you think you should be doing, Paul? What about your behavior do you think you should be improving so I don't have to keep considering whether or not I'm going to break up with you," I snapped. "You have to really look at yourself because if I see these things then you definitely should too. You're the one who is constantly apologizing for your actions for one reason or another and clearly just apologizing isn't doing anything if you have to keep doing it! You haven't changed! Not for the better anyway."

Paul sat silently, staring at me with a disapproving look on his face. I glared right back, leaning forward to pick up my glass. I swirled the straw around, holding Paul's gaze, taking a sip. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm doing the best I can, Arianne," He said, blowing out a breath. "You know that I love you and if you're not accepting my apology..."

"Paul, I have accepted your apologies! All of them! I'm sick of you having to continuously apologize. That's what I'm trying to tell you! Stop apologizing and fix it! Before it's too late."

I slammed my glass down on the table hard enough to make the people beside us turn their heads. Any other time I'd have felt a little more embarrassed by arguing with Paul in such a public place but at this point I'd had enough and didn't care. If no one was blatantly gawking at us, or hadn't said anything, I wasn't bothered. I picked up my purse from the floor beside my chair and dug around for my wallet. I pulled a few bills out and calmly slid them over to Paul. I rose, hitching my purse over my shoulder.

"I'm going to call John to come and get me," I said, pushing my chair in. "Talk to me when you figure yourself out."

"Arianne!"

I ignored him, heading to the door. Once outside, I dug my phone out of my pocket and called John. It rang several times before finally going to voicemail. He must be sleeping already. Which was strange for John, considering he somehow managed to run around all day everyday and never really seemed to sleep. Forgoing a voicemail, I hung up and phoned Randy instead. He answered after the first two rings.

"Hey little Cena. What's up?"

"Hey. You haven't seen my brother around, have you?" I asked.

"I talked to him about two hours ago. He said he was gonna talk to Liz and try and catch a few extra hours of sleep," Randy said. "Why?"

"Because I was kinda hoping he'd be able to come pick me up," I sighed. "I decided I didn't want to be in Paul's presence anymore and I need a lift back to the hotel."

"Where are you?" Randy asked, and I heard him shifting in the background.

I peered around at my surroundings. "Um, some little out of the way restaurant."

"Well considering John is kinda out cold right now, I'll come get you." Randy offered.

"Really? That would be awesome. Let me GPS this place and I'll text you the address." I said.

"Yeah, do that. I'll see you in a few." Randy said.

I signed off with Randy and activated the GPS feature on my phone. After a little searching, the address popped up and I copied it into a text to Randy. I walked down the cobbled walkway, parking myself against the fence that went around the building. After a few moments I heard footsteps behind me and didn't bother to turn and find out the source. I smelled Paul's cologne as he came up beside me. He reached for my arm but I moved away from his grip.

"I told you. Talk to me when you've sorted everything out. Until then, I don't have anything to say to you." I said coolly.

"I don't understand why you're doing this, Arianne. You're being ridiculous." Paul said.

"Am I? Or do you still not understand what I've been trying to tell you?"

Paul gave me a sour look and opened his mouth to speak but the sound of tires crunching along the gravel parking lot. A dark green Land Rover rolled to a stop in front of me and the passenger window slid down. Randy was sitting in the driver's seat, wearing a less-than-impressed expression. I spared a glance in Paul's direction and the look on his face mirrored Randy's.

"Ready to split, little Cena?" He asked.

I pulled my gaze from Paul's and nodded at Randy. "Like you wouldn't believe."

I half expected Paul to try and stop me when I opened the door to Randy's car but he did nothing, just glared at the pair of us as I pulled the door shut. Randy pulled off without a word and I relaxed in the seat, blowing out a deep breath.

"Wanna talk about it?" Randy asked.

"Nope. I just wanna go back to the hotel and get some sleep. I'm done with this night," I said, glancing over at him. "...But maybe later."


	10. Chapter 10

"Thanks for the ride, Randy." I said, as we walked into the lobby of the hotel.

"Any time," He shrugged. "So what are you getting up to now?"

"I dunno. I was going to get some sleep but I'm far too restless for that," I sighed, pushing the up button for the elevator. "Maybe I'll just watch a movie or something. Try and tire myself out ya know?"

Randy nodded, motioning for me to go first as the elevator doors swished open. I pushed the button for my floor and Randy did the same for his. I leaned against the wall, shutting my eyes with a sigh. Tonight certainly hadn't gone as well as I'd hoped. What I was wishing for, I couldn't quite say I was sure, but I never imagined I'd end up walking out of the restaurant on my boyfriend.

"Hey, you in there, Ari?" Randy said, his tone amused.

I blinked, looking over at him. "Huh?"

"Your floor." Randy said, sticking his hand through the sensor so the door jerked open again.

"Oh," I said. "...What are you doing tonight?"

"Much the same as you. I'm wide awake and it kinda sucks. So I was just gonna try and relax." Randy said.

"Want some company?" I asked.

Randy shot me a small smile and shrugged. "Sure. Couldn't hurt."

He pulled his hand back, letting the elevator doors shut and we continued up two more floors. When the doors opened again I followed Randy down the hall to his room. He held the door open for me and I squeezed past him into the room, flicking on the light as I went. Randy's hotel room was very neat, a fact that surprised me. Orderly wasn't a term I actively associated with Randy, but I supposed his time in the military had instilled that in him. I sat down at the desk chair, dropping my purse on the table. Randy dropped down onto the edge of the bed, laying back and stretching his arms above his head.

"So. You wanna tell me why I ended up coming to save your ass tonight?" He asked.

"I would but I'm not exactly looking forward to hearing you said 'I told you so'." I said, aiming a kick towards his shin.

Randy laughed. "So you broke up with him?"

"No," I murmured. "Not quite."

"Uh-huh," Randy said, sitting up. "So then what happened?"

I sighed, recalling the story for Randy. When I finished, Randy was shaking his head, and, with a sigh said:

"Just do what you gotta do, Ari."

"That's it!" I said, laughing. "That's all you're really gonna say?"

"I've already told you how I feel about this joker so there's no reason for me to go into the whole spiel again," Randy said. "So you gotta do what you gotta do. Just be happy, little Cena."

I nodded, swiveling around in the chair a few times. When I finally came to a stop, Randy was laughing softly at me, shaking his head.

"What?" I giggled.

"Sometimes I forget how young you really are, Ari." Randy said, kicking his shoes off.

I laughed softly, there was an eight year age difference between Randy and I. It was never something that bothered me, considering I was used to wide gaps in age, being the youngest of six children. I was only fourteen the first time I'd met Randy and my raging teenage hormones had me more than excited for John to become better friends with him. But Randy was twenty-two and I'd been nowhere on his radar at the time. Until four years later, apparently when I'd finally turned eighteen and starting wrestling school, his view of me had changed. According to John that is.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, unzipping the sides of each of my boots before kicking them off.

"Of course." Randy nodded.

"Did you really have a thing for me when I turned eighteen?" I asked.

Randy's eyes bulged a little and he made a sound almost like he'd just choked. "Why do you ask?"

"Because John may or may not have mentioned it at some point over the last week or two." I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Did you really have a thing for me when we first met?" Randy asked.

"I was fourteen when we met and you were the most attractive guy I'd ever seen at that point," I said, kicking one of my shoes at him. "So yeah, I definitely had a thing for you back in the day."

"Hmm," Randy rubbed his chin, then sighed. "I thought you were a cute kid when I met you. But that was just it. You were a kid, and the little sister of one of the few friends I had back then. So when you grew up, filled out, and turned legal, I thought you were hot. But I'm only a man and I don't think I have to remind you I was a less than honorable one back in those days. The only reason I never did anything is because your brother can be an intimidating son of a bitch when he wants to be. He warned me off you from the start. So I stayed away. Admired, but stayed away."

I felt my cheeks warm, but couldn't resist teasing him a little. "So you liked me?"

"I liked your body," Randy said. "I'm not going to lie to you. I was a horny jerk and you were that unattainable hot girl."

"Blunt honesty, thy name is Randy Orton," I rolled my eyes. "So you never actually had a thing for me? You just told John you did so you didn't have to tell him you just wanted to sleep with me?"

"Yes and no. At first, that's what I felt. That's all I wanted at that point in my life," Randy said, running a hand over his short hair. "Then I grew up, some things happened in my life and it made me appreciate the things around me a whole hell of a lot more. I got to know you, actually took the time to talk to you and everything. I liked you as a person, I still like you as a person. I think you're a great girl. And obviously you're gorgeous and sexy and amazing and I wasn't really surprised when you ended up dating someone from the company. I was surprised that it was him though."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I thought you could do better," Randy shrugged. "You're too good for him, Arianne."

"Am I too good for you, Randy?"

"Definitely," He said without hesitation. "Sometimes I'm afraid that I'm still haunted by the shit in my past and I don't ever think I'd be good enough for such a sweet person like you. No matter how much I thought about it."

I stayed silent for a long stretch, analyzing that comment in my head. Something about it made me want to delve deeper into this conversation and really find out whether there could be some unexplored desire for something more than friendship between Randy and I but I decided against it. I wouldn't push if he didn't want to be forthcoming. I sighed, and wheeled my chair closer and propped my bare feet up on his thighs. Randy leaned back, grabbing the remote off the table next to the bed and tossing it into my lap. He shook his head with a laugh and grabbed one of my feet, running his thumbs along the arch of my foot. I turned on the television and surfed the channels for a bit before I landed on some silly stupidest criminals show that I'd seen a hundred times but always laughed at. Randy rolled his eyes at the choice of programming and I chucked the remote at his chest.

"You find something then." I laughed.

Randy squeezed my foot, and tossed the remote onto the bed. "My hands are busy."

"Ya know, I don't think anyone has ever given me a foot massage before." I said.

"Yeah and you better be glad I like you," The sarcasm in his words diminished by the smile sparking in his blue-gray eyes. "Not everyone gets this treatment."

"Seems to be a pattern with you, Orton." I said, unzipping and shrugging off my jacket.

Randy only smiled and continued to massage my foot. After a while he swapped and gave the same treatment to my other foot. I couldn't help but think, as Randy rubbed my foot, this was the type of thing I'd like my boyfriend to do. Any type of sweet, simple gestures would make me the happiest girl in the world. I never expected this out of Randy, no matter how close we were. I never pegged him as a romantic type but this was nice. I yawned, as Randy finally released my foot, resting it on his thighs again.

"Thanks, Randy." I said, yawning again.

"You're welcome," He flopped back onto the bed, raising his arms above his head. "You sound tired."

I shook my head, even though he couldn't see it. "Not really. Plus, we're supposed to be relaxing and movie watching."

Randy snorted. "You just got a foot massage. I'm considering you relaxed," He chuckled. "And, you're the one that put that garbage on the TV."

I got up, hopping onto the bed with Randy. He grunted when I hit the mattress, making him bounce slightly. "Scoot over."

* * *

I didn't remember falling asleep, but I woke up in the morning in a tangle of sheets and tattooed arms. I was still wearing my top and jeans from the night before and Randy, from what I could tell, was still wearing his jeans as well. One of his arms was draped around my waist and I could hear him snoring softly behind me. I shifted, attempting to turn around but Randy's arm clamped down tighter around my waist. I froze, holding my breath and listened to his breathing. Slow, deep, and steady. He was still fast asleep. I sighed, feeling awkward yet comfortable all at the same time. I wiggled, trying to get Randy to loosen his arm from around me. He grunted in his sleep and moved just enough for me to lift his arm and roll out from his grip. His arm dropped into the empty space where I'd been and he jumped, waking with a start.

"What?" He muttered.

"You were snuggling me," I laughed softly, pulling on my jacket. "Who knew you were a cuddler, Randy."

He shot me a joking sort of 'shut-the-fuck-up' look, rolling over onto his back. "Sorry."

I pulled on my shoes and walked back over to the bed. I leaned down, kissing Randy on the cheek. "Don't be. It was kinda nice."

I grabbed my purse, flinging it over my shoulder and headed towards the door. I heard the covers shifting and Randy's footsteps coming towards me. I paused at the door, saw his shadow looming behind me and turned around. His steely eyes were still sleepy and he had a small smile on his face. Randy moved closer, I moved back, taking in a breath and holding it. My back bumped the door and Randy stuck his arm out, pressing his palm against the wall by my head. His other hand came up to my cheek, cupping it gently. I exhaled slowly as Randy drew closer, his mouth pressed against mine. I couldn't say which surprised me more, the fact that Randy had initiated the kiss, or the fact that I'd kissed him back without a second thought. The kiss was slow, explorative, something I'd dreamed of since I was fourteen.

Randy pulled away, sliding his hand away from my cheek. "Don't take this as I'm trying to change your mind. Just... consider it something to think about."

I nodded slowly, and Randy kissed the top of my head. I mumbled a goodbye and headed out the door. Once outside, I leaned against the wall beside Randy's room, exhaling slowly. I was stunned and the world around me felt like a blur and once I got back to my own hotel room, the first thing I did was dig my phone out of my purse and call Liz.

"Hello there, Ari-girl!" She said.

"I just woke up next to Randy Orton," I blurted. "And he just kissed me."

"Okay, that's a little backwards," Liz laughed. "He kissed you _after_ you two woke up together?"

"Nothing happened!" I said. "We were hanging out and watched a movie. I guess I fell asleep and so did he."

"Okay and so he just kissed you for the fun of it? That doesn't seem very Randy-like." Liz said.

I dropped down on the edge of my bed, tossing my purse behind me. "Tell me about it."

"Was it good?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, feeling a stab of guilt deep in my stomach. "It really was."

"So, explain to me what the hell happened. John said last night that you said you were going out to dinner with Paul and you call me bright and early this morning saying that you ended up sleeping in Randy's bed."

With a sigh, I quickly recounted the story of the night before for my sister-in-law. "So this morning as I was getting ready to leave Randy's room, he just out of the blue kissed me and said 'don't take this as I'm trying to change your mind. Just consider it something to think about'. I mean trust me, that kiss was something to think about for sure but I was so taken by surprise."

"Well, obviously he wants you Arianne," Liz said. "He wants you to dump Paul and get with him but he's letting you make the choice on your own. He just wanted to show you a taste of what it's like on the other side."

I touched my bottom lip. As examples went, that was damned effective.

"I don't know what to do, Lizzie." I sighed.

"Just do what feels right, Ari. Whatever your heart tells you, go with it. Just make sure you're happy. In the end, that's all that really matters. Whoever it is you're with, or even if you're not with anyone. Just be happy."

"That's what John keeps saying," I said, sighing again.

"Well then silly big brother might actually be right for once," Liz chuckled. "Just take a good hard look at what's going on around you. Make your decisions based on _your_ heart and not people's actions. No matter how sexy said actions are."

I laughed. "I know, I know. And I will, when that time comes."

"Good girl. Well sweetie, I'm gonna let you go now, but call me if you need anyway, as usual. Or if something else goes down with Randy's sexy self."

I laughed and promised her I would. After we hung up, I flopped back onto the bed. I had a feeling this situation had only just started to get interesting.


	11. Chapter 11

July gave way to August, bringing hotter weather and the unsettling fact that I would soon become part of the Nexus. When Stu had said I'd be joining the Nexus sooner than originally projected, I didn't think it would be as soon as the week before SummerSlam. I hadn't spoken to Paul since the night I left him behind at the restaurant. And I wasn't exactly friends with the other members of the group. I stayed away from the most of the other guys, hiding out in the lockeroom with my brother or hanging around with Randy. Being with Randy made things fun, more bearable. He and I got along well and if I wasn't with John, or Nattie, I was with him.

The hours before RAW were dwindling down quickly and I felt anything but prepared for what was going to happen tonight. The Nexus was going to mount another attack on John and I, being his concerned little sister, was going to come to the ring in an attempt to save my brother from the second ass-kicking of the century he was going to receive. It was a basic, quick, painless plan that I had no problem executing but the problem I did have was working closely with Paul when we weren't even speaking. I didn't know what to expect from this, but at the moment, it didn't look good.

I got ready for the night in John's lockeroom. It was quiet there, as he was out and about in the arena already. I'd just finished lacing up my boots when there was a knock on the door. I sighed, pushing up from my seat and heading over to the door. I pulled it open and Randy was leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I thought I'd find you here." He said.

I chuckled, letting Randy in and shut the door behind him. "You're looking for me?"

"Yup," He sat down on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. "So joining the Nexus tonight?"

I groaned, dropping down next to him. "Please don't. I've been having serious anxiety over this all day. I just don't know what to expect until they phase John into the group too. We're all not exactly on the same page. I definitely know things are going to be awkward for a while until I have John here. I just hope they don't expect us to travel together or anything like that because that's just overexposure to these guys."

Randy shook his head. "You talked to boyfriend recently?"

"Nope. I refuse to be the one to try and fix this when I've done nothing wrong. I told him to call me when or if he gets his head on straight. I don't want to be the one responsible for trying to continuously glue this relationship together. It's his responsibility too if he wants to keep me."

"You're too damn nice, Arianne," Randy chuckled. "Why do you keep giving this guy chances?"

I fidgeted in my seat. "I love him, Randy... but I'm beginning to think it's just not enough. Or maybe he doesn't love me as much as I thought he did. It takes two to make it work in a relationship and I feel like the bad guy because he's not doing his part. I'm just so done with all this."

Randy stretched out his arm and I scooted closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me gently. I wrapped an arm around his waist, sighing. He kissed my hair and I sighed, something about this felt right. It felt normal, felt like things should have felt with Paul.

"Can I tell you something, Ari?" Randy said softly.

"Of course."

Randy was quiet for a long stretch. He let out a long breath, and squeezed me again. "Good luck tonight. I've got your back if you need me."

I shifted so I could look up at Randy. His face was guarded and I felt that wasn't exactly what he wanted to tell me. I knew that a hundred times over, that he would always be there for me. I wondered what he really wanted to say but didn't press the subject. If he'd wanted me to know, he would have said something.

"Thanks, Randy." I said and kissed his cheek. "I appreciate it."

* * *

Randy stayed around until John finally returned to the lockeroom and told me it was just about time for the main event attack. I gave Randy one last hug before he left and John and I headed out of the lockeroom to get in place for the rest of the night. John was to have a match against The Miz and following John's win, the Nexus would come out and attempt to beat John into submission and make him join their group. That's where I would come in, concerned for his safety, I'd approach the Nexus in an attempt to get them to back down from the attack, telling the world that John was my brother. From there, they'd jump on the chance to see me in their group in exchange for my brother's welfare, for the moment, anyhow. The bosses in the creative department were eager to see how the WWE Universe would react to the relation between John and I. They were hoping for it to be received well, and for the fans to be shocked at both Cena siblings ending up in the biggest heel faction in quite some time.

I paced the area, not daring to stray too far so I could keep an eye on the monitor and be ready for my cue. The match was about half-way through when the members of the Nexus started to gather. Stu was a brooding, unsettling presence towering above me to my right. Heath, with all his frenetic energy was bouncing to my left. The others were further back in a loose semi-circle around me. I ignored them, concentrating on the monitor until I felt arms go around my waist. I jumped, whipping around to see Paul behind me. I opened my mouth to say something to him but my words were cut off as he kissed me. Surprised, I pushed him back, glaring at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Kissing my girlfriend," He said, a smirk on his face. "I have something to show you tonight, after the event."

"Paul I don't..."

"Just come see me, alright? I know you'll love it."

I took a deep breath, and reluctantly said: "Alright."

"Good. Meet me in the hotel lobby after the show?" Paul said.

"Sure." I nodded.

Paul smiled and kissed me on the cheek. It took what seemed like forever for the Nexus to finally get their cue to head down to the ring and begin the assault on John. My cue was Stu hitting the Wasteland and dragging John over to the corner where Paul was perched on the turnbuckle ready to hit the 450 Splash. A PA handed me a microphone and shooed me towards the tunnel just before Paul launched himself down onto my brother.

* * *

Justin Gabriel stood on the top turnbuckle, gazing down at John Cena while the rest of the Nexus cheered him on to hit his finisher.

"Stop! Please, stop!"

Collectively, the Nexus turned to the stage. Out of the darkness of the tunnel, appeared Ari Rose. She was hurrying down the ramp with a distressed look on her face. At Barrett's signal, Gabriel climbed down from the turnbuckle, watching Ari head down the ramp.

"Please. Stop," Ari said. "Don't do this."

Barrett motioned for the other members of the Nexus to move away as Ari Rose cautiously climbed into the ring. She knelt beside Cena for a moment to check on him before standing to address the group before her.

"Look, I know what I say can't possibly make much difference... but you've gotta stop this. You have to stop hurting him."

Wade Barrett called for a microphone. "Now, why exactly would we do that? When we've clearly yet to make our point with John Cena. More to the point, why exactly do you care?"

Ari looked back at John, then turned her attention to Barrett again. "John Cena is my brother. And I can't keep watching you hurt him!

Barrett raised an interested eyebrow. Glancing around at his fellow Nexus members, he called them together. Ari looked on nervously, stealing glances back at her brother while the Nexus talked. Finally, Barrett turned back to her, a devious smirk on his face.

"Well then. Ari Rose is the sister of John Cena. Isn't that interesting," Barrett said. "Well, Miss Rose, we here are a fair lot, so we're going to extend to you the same proposition that we gave your dear brother. Join us. The Nexus could benefit by having a beauty like you on our side, and you could benefit from being aligned with us. We keep our eyes on everyone in this company and a performer of your caliber most certainly deserves to be in higher standing than you are. Let's be honest, the current Diva's champion is a joke. Align yourself with the most powerful faction in WWE history and you too, could reap the rewards. A championship around your waist awaits you, just like it does me."

Stunned, Ari stared at Barrett. "Join you?"

"That's right. Join us, and we'll leave your brother alone. It's that simple." Barrett said.

"Don't! Ari no!" John yelled up at her.

Ari glanced down at her brother, then back at the seven-piece powerhouse that was the Nexus. "All I have to do is join you? And you'll leave John alone. Period."

"You have my word." Barrett said.

"Don't do it!" John yelled again.

Ari paused for a long moment, glancing between her brother and Wade Barrett. John was dragging himself up by the ropes, yelling at his sister not to accept the offer.

"If you say no, Ari, we'll be forced to continue this crusade and we won't let up until we've got what we want," Barrett said. "And consider this, your admission here tonight has made you something of a target. Now we've got two Cena's to keep our eyes on. Join us, and your target, and your brother's are removed. Refuse and you'll know that you'll be under the Nexus' microscope."

Dejectedly, Ari looked from her brother, and back to Barrett again, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry, John."

"Ari! No!"

She looked Wade Barrett in the eye, frowning. "Fine. I'm in. I'll do it."

"You've made a wise choice, Ari Rose," Barrett said, smirking. "Welcome to the Nexus."

* * *

After the segment, I got back to John's lockeroom as quickly as I possibly could. I didn't know what to expect from Paul tonight. Last time he'd asked me to go out to dinner with him I ended up leaving him behind at the restaurant. He seemed confident that I would like whatever surprise he had planned out for me tonight. I wasn't so sure how I'd feel about it myself, however.

I changed out of my wrestling gear and into a pair of grey skinny jeans, a black and white striped tank top with a black ruffled cardigan over it. I finished the outfit with a pair of black strappy, wedge sandals and some jewelry. I packed up my gear and was heading out the door when John was heading back in.

"You look nice," He said, squeezing my shoulder. "Going somewhere?"

I sighed. "Paul has some kind of surprise for me. I have no idea what it could be."

John shook his head. "Who knows, Ari-kid. But you know you can call me if you need me."

"Yeah, I know," I hesitated, then said: "I can't even decide if I should go. Part of me wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and think it won't turn out like last time. Part of me just wants to blow this off. But I'd feel bad if I didn't even give him a chance when I told him to call me when he sorted himself out if he wanted to make things work with me."

"Well then you should go, Ari. If you want this to work and you told him to either get his life together or lose you. If he's trying to make it right, you gotta stick to your word," John said. "Figure out what you want to do after this. Who knows what tonight could bring, right?"

"You're right, Johnny," I said and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Alright, Ari. See you later. Call me if you need me."

I nodded and headed out the door. I caught a cab to the hotel, since I'd got a ride to the arena with John and didn't want to take his rental car. Once I got to the hotel and checked in, I dropped my things off in my room and headed back down to the lobby to wait for Paul. I sat in one of the chairs, taking out my phone to text Liz and fill her in on what'd been going on in the last week or so. I'd just started to type a reply back when I saw a shadow looming over me. I looked up and Paul was smiling down at me. I discarded the text message and put my phone away, standing up.

"You look lovely, as usual Arianne." Paul smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks," I smiled back. "So what's this big surprise you've got planned?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, love." Paul grinned. "Just follow me."

I nodded and followed Paul out of the hotel. The hotel was situated in the back of what looked like a strip mall. It was surrounded by dozens of little shops and places to eat. We turned right after heading down the sidewalk a bit and stopped outside a little cafe. We went inside and ordered coffee and pastries and sat outside. I broke a piece off of the massive croissant in front of me and chewed it slowly, waiting for Paul to speak.

Awkward seconds ticked by and he just sat and watched me eat and drink. I sat my coffee down, crossing my arms.

"Are you going to say something?" I asked.

"Things are going to change for us, Arianne," He said. "I've thought about what you said and I understand that I've been less than cooperative with you recently. But I love you, and I do not want to lose you. I've realized that my actions have pushed you away. We haven't spoken in far too long. I haven't held you in ages. I don't like this separation and I realize that it's my fault. I've made you unhappy, and I've given you reasons to distrust me. For all of this I sincerely apologize, Arianne. I know you've told me that apologizes need to stop and I need to show you. That's what I plan to do, if you'll give me the chance to."

"Do you really mean it, Paul? Am I really going to see the change. It'll be like we were before?" I said.

"Yes, Arianne I promise." Paul said.

I leaned back in my seat, sipping my coffee. "I certainly hope so. Please don't break this promise, Paul. I love you and I want to see things change with us."

"You will, my love. You will."


	12. Chapter 12

Two weeks, and SummerSlam had passed and things were definitely changing between Paul and I. He was acting more like the man I fell in love with rather than this stranger I'd been living with for the past month or two. Things seemed to be getting better but there was something in the back of my mind that had me feeling guilty about the situation.

Kissing Randy.

I'd debated with myself back and forth whether it was a good idea to inform Paul of the incident. Things felt like they were going so well, and I knew telling him that would cause a huge blow-up. But honesty, above all, was a trait my brother and I would forever have in common. I felt bad keeping it from Paul, particularly when he was finally showing me what I was asking for. There was no way I couldn't give him the same respect and not tell him about the situation.

Being a part of the Nexus, I hardly had a private moment with Paul to make my confession. We were at a house show and no matter where we went, there were at least two other members of the stable right behind us. Something I imagined - without hesitation - that Stu cooked up since he still 'didn't trust' that Paul and I were abiding by his all for one and one for all Nexus decree. I'd wait until we got back to the hotel and could actually sit and talk like adults about the situation.

I accompanied Paul and Heath during their tag team match. Playing the reluctant valet to the bad guys while attempting to interact with the fans and getting scolded by the rest of the guys. Once the match was over, I stripped out of the Nexus shirt to the tank top I wore under it and pulled off the arm band, shoving them both into my suitcase. I sat down to wait for Paul to shower and change so we could head back to the hotel. I reached into my purse to grab my phone, it beeped with in incoming message.

From Randy, it read: _"Where you been, Cena girl?"_

I smiled and sent a reply, telling him briefly that I'd been stuck with the Nexus crew and it was hard to get a few moments away. Though, I had a feeling he knew I was attempting to repair things with Paul, he'd been a little colder the last time we spoke in person and I could see disappointment in his eyes. For some reason, that hurt to see. I'd always thought I'd been nothing more than a little sister type to Randy, but over the last few weeks I'd come to realize that sentiment wasn't the whole truth. Maybe he had feelings for me now the way I'd had for him all those years ago. Maybe the feelings I had for him never totally went away, but I was already feeling guilty enough and didn't want to heap anything else on top of it all.

Randy replied again: _"Really? Wanna get away?"_

_"I'd love to,"_ I text back. _"But tonight is bad. I need to talk with Paul about something. Potential rough night."_

_"Good luck?"_ He said. _"What's going on?"_

_"I have to tell him... about the kiss. I know it wasn't a big deal... but I feel like he'll make it one if I say nothing."_

_"Regret it?"_ Randy asked.

_"Regret, no. Feeling guilty, a little."_

_"Sorry."_ Randy said.

_"Don't be. It's fine, really. I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" _I said.

_"Yep."_

With a sigh, I closed my phone and shoved it back in my purse as Paul came back into the room.

"All ready to go, Arianne?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah," I blew out a breath. "Um, Paul... when we get to the hotel... I have to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"We'll see."

* * *

The ride to the hotel was quiet and slightly awkward. I was going over how I'd break the news to Paul about what had happened. We checked into the hotel and once we were settled in, I tried to work up the nerve to tell Paul what had happened.

"So you wanted to talk to me about something, love?" Paul asked, settling down on the bed.

"Yes. Paul... a few weeks ago... something kinda happened." I paused, taking a deep breath. "I was hanging out with Randy and we were just watching movies and talking and I fell asleep... with him. I promise you nothing happened. I fell asleep fully clothed and woke up that way and so did he!"

Paul glared at me, folding his arms across his chest. "Is that all?"

"No," I hesitated and sighed again. "He kissed me... and I kissed him back."

Paul was quiet for a long stretch of time, just glaring at me. My stomach was in knots, I couldn't take the silence. I didn't even care if he yelled at me, I just wanted to hear something. Anything.

"And you... Arianne you were the one preaching at me to change _my_ ways. And you think that was okay? You thought _sleeping_ with him was alright?"

"I didn't have sex with Randy! We slept, in the most literal way, in the same bed, that's all! Nothing happened...!"

"Except you kissed him!" Paul yelled.

"I know! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Paul. I shouldn't have done it," I said, holding my hands up defensively. "It was wrong of me and I'm sorry. I can't take it back..."

"Do you even want to?" Paul interrupted. "I knew there was something going on between you and Randy Orton!"

"There's nothing going on with us! There's nothing happening! It was one time and I'm sorry for it!" I yelled. "Randy and I are friends, that's it! Nothing more!"

"And that's what friends do, right?" Paul snarled.

"God Paul what do you want me to say? I'm sorry. It never should have happened but it did and I'm sorry! It was a mistake!"

"You had the nerve to tell me that I needed to change. That you needed to see me doing something different. To make you happy! And this is what you do? And you claim there's nothing between you two. I'm supposed to just believe you now, after this?" Paul said.

"I understand that you're angry at me, and I don't know what else you want me to say! I should have told you when it happened. I didn't and I'm sorry. I really am." I sighed heavily. "I don't know what it's going to take to get you to believe me..."

"Right now, Arianne, I don't believe you. In fact, if it's Randy Orton you want to sleep with, why don't you go and do that tonight." Paul said sharply.

"What?"

"Get out. I don't want you in here tonight." Paul stood, grabbed my purse and threw it at me. "Leave."

My heart dropped to my toes. I had a feeling he'd be angry, but I didn't think he'd be _this_ angry. Paul shoved my suitcase towards the door and grabbed me by the elbow, dragging me to my feet. He pushed me toward the door and I stumbled to grab my suitcase and pull my bag up on my shoulder. I pulled the door open and drug my suitcase out with me. The door slammed shut and I heard the lock click into place. I sighed, pulling my phone out of my purse and dialed John's number.

"Hey Ari-kid!"

"Hey John," I said. "Got room for your little sister tonight?"

"I always have room for you, kid. What's going on?"

"I'll explain when I get there. What room are you in?" I said.

"Six-twelve. Come on over."

"Thanks Johnny, I'll be there in a minute."

I hung up, stuffing my phone back into my purse and heading to the elevator. I was two floors below John and the elevator ride was quick. I knocked on John's door and he opened it immediately. John grabbed my suitcase, pulling it inside and I followed him in, shutting the door behind me. The couch was already pulled out into an extra bed and there was a blanket and pillow laid on it. I sat on the edge of the pull-out bed, dropping my purse on the floor, putting my head in my hands.

"What happened, Ari-kid?" John sat down next to me, putting a huge arm around me.

"I made a mistake. I owned up to it, and I told Paul. He's pissed at me and kicked me out of the room." I said softly.

John groaned. "He kicked you out? Why?"

"I kissed Randy. A few weeks ago," I lifted my head, sighing. "Paul and I weren't talking and it just sort of happened. Randy and I were hanging out and watching movies and stuff and we fell asleep together. Nothing happened. I didn't have sex with him, I didn't do anything. The next morning, he kissed me... I kissed him back. That's all. I told Paul and he was pissed. He told me if it's Randy I wanted to sleep with then I should go do that. He told me he didn't want in the room tonight, so here I am."

John squeezed me. "I'm sorry kid. Randy actually told me about that."

"He did?" I squeaked.

"Yeah," John nodded. "Randy and I talk. We're boys, he tells me stuff. I tell him stuff."

I sighed, unzipping my boots and dragging them off. "So what's he been telling you? Or is that breaking some kind of bro code and you're sworn to secrecy?"

John laughed. "Nah. He's always told me that if you ask, I can tell you. If you really wanna know."

"Why doesn't he just tell me himself?" I asked, leaning my head on John's shoulder.

"Beats the hell outta me. But he talks to me," John said. "He's got a thing for you. And he's got it bad. He isn't trying to step on toes or nothing but he's in it for you. He likes you is what I'm trying to say. He lost a little bit of control when he kissed you but he definitely feels bad for putting you in an awkward situation."

"I don't have guys do this, John," I groaned. "It just doesn't make sense. Guys don't lose themselves over me. I'm the friend, the little sister. I'm not the girl that guys fawn over. I'm certainly not the type of girl Randy Orton would go for!"

"Well obviously you are, Ari-kid. I can't explain it any better than you can try and work it out but Randy has it bad for you. I'm sure he spares me the gory details of exactly how bad he's got it for you but I know he does and he's not trying to play you. He's not trying to make you choose or anything like that. But he thinks you're too good for Paul, and frankly I agree." John said.

"You do?" I asked.

"Damn right I do," John said. "You're my little sister. I'm gonna think you're too good for any jerk who doesn't treat you right..."

"But how am I any better than that, doing this?" I groaned.

"Arianne! You're talking like you actually did something wrong with Randy. Sure it wasn't exactly the best move to kiss him but that's on him, too. But you owned up to it. You admitted your mistake and it's not your fault he blew up," John said. "You can't have predicted how he would react. You didn't do anything that hasn't happened a million and a half times. If you're going to be with Paul, though, I'd suggest you and Randy keep your mouths away from each other."

My laugh was shaky at best. "Yeah, I know."

I rolled out from under John's arm and sat in the middle of the bed, pulling my knees up to my chest. He patted my foot and leaned back on his hands.

"So tell me something, Ari," He said cautiously. "How do you feel about Randy?"

I sighed, pulling my hair to one side. "I've always liked Randy. As a friend, as more than a friend, as a brother. I didn't know how he felt. I guess if I had... maybe I wouldn't be in this situation now. Obviously you know I had a crush on Randy when I met him and I think I always have liked Randy in some capacity. I just never thought I'd ever have a chance. So when Paul came along and I really fell in love with him, I sort of forgot about how I felt for Randy. But... talking with him lately and us hanging out a lot. And the problems I've been having in this relationship... it just felt good to be wanted. I know I have feelings for Randy... and when we get put in a position where we're that close... I guess things happen."

"So then, when it really comes down to it, you have a choice to make," John said. "It's obvious from what you just told about how you feel, that you're preferring one to the other right now."

"I love Paul, I really do John... but I'm just thinking is it enough? We've been so back and forth lately and he's been trying so hard to do better when it comes to me. Then this happens and I feel _so_ guilty about it. And I feel so awkward having feelings for Randy at the same time. I feel like I'm being split in half!"

John sighed, reaching over and squeezing my knee. "I know. But you've gotta sort things out, for your own sanity if nothing else. You can't keep being pulled in six different directions, that'll make you crazy. But I want you to do what feels right to you, and what's best for you. I can't tell you who to pick, how to do it, or what to do, but you just gotta do it."

"I know," I said, laying back. "So thanks for letting me stay."

"Of course. Any time, Ari-kid," He said and pulled me up by the arm. "Get up. Go change and relax. Sleep in the big bed, okay?"

"Oh, John! No, I'll sleep here. It's fine." I said. "I'm already putting you out of your room..."

"Nope. Don't argue. It's fine! Now go on, relax. You need it.."

I leaned forward, hugging my brother. He squeezed me tight in those big arms of his. It was one of those hugs that I needed. One of those big brother hugs that made me feel better about the word. I stayed there for a long moment, just enjoying the comfort a bone-crushing hug from John provided. My brother and I were always close, he was always there when I needed him and in this moment with everything going on around me, I absolutely needed him.


	13. Chapter 13

A thud dangerously close to my head jarred me awake the next morning. Groggily, I reached over to swat whatever it was away.

"It's been blowin' up for the last hour," John said. "It's Paul."

"Screw that," I mumbled into the pillow, prying one eye open wide enough to shut the phone off. "Its too damn early and I don't want to be bothered with him right now."

"Too early," John laughed. "It's wake up call time kiddo. Shake it out, time to roll."

"You're kidding? I feel like I've only slept for an hour!"

I flung the comforter from over my head and glared clock as if it'd done something wrong. I pushed myself up and John was laughing and shaking his head at me. Kicking the covers off, I hopped out of bed and went to my suitcase to grab some clean clothes. I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. Ten minutes later I was dressed, ten more and my makeup was done and I was ready to go.

"We're meeting Randy and heading out to the arena for RAW." John said nonchalantly.

"Meeting Randy? You are not being helpful right now big brother." I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone from the mess of covers.

"Hey, these are my usual traveling procedures Ari-kid. You know that." John laughed.

He grabbed both our suitcases and I lead the way out the door and downstairs to the lobby where Randy was waiting. He cracked half a smile when he saw me, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell me we had company John," Randy said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Rough night." I muttered.

Randy frowned. "Sorry to hear that."

"Uh okay, you two can stop acting like strangers any time now." John said.

Randy rolled his eyes at John and headed out the door. I followed while John finalized our checkout. Randy informed me he would be driving to the next venue as we loaded our bags into his rental car.

"So dare I ask how things went last night?" Randy asked, leaning against the car.

I scoffed. "Not really, but I'll tell you anyway. I told him what happened, he freaked out and kicked me out of our room. So I went and stayed with John. Apparently he's been blowing my phone up for an hour or two at this point. I turned it off, I don't want to talk to him."

"He kicked you out? Over a kiss? What an asshole." Randy snorted. "Look I'm sorry I put you in that position but that's just fucking stupid. He overreacted as far as I'm concerned. At least you told him and didn't just hide it from him. That's a boy's move."

I sighed. "I don't know what to do, Randy. This is crazy."

"It's stupid is what it is," Randy said. "I really am sorry, Arianne. A lot of this is my fault."

"It takes two," I shrugged. "I have no regrets."

Randy smirked. "Good to know."

I smiled over at him, closing the small gap between us and tucking myself under his arm for a hug. Randy kissed the top of my head, giving me a squeeze.

"You two ready to hit the road?"

Randy and I looked up at the sound of John's voice. He was grinning at us, shaking his head. I pulled out of Randy's grip and walked around to the passenger side of the car.

"I call shotgun!"

* * *

After stopping for lunch, we arrived at the arena for RAW. I followed John to his lockeroom, I didn't want to be around the rest of the guys no matter what Stu demanded of us. John headed out to mingle amongst our coworkers while I stayed behind, turning on my phone for the first time since I'd shut it off earlier.

I had more missed calls than I could count on both hands, and more text messages than I'd ever received. Some were from Liz, some from Nattie, but most were from Paul, and all of his were very, very nasty. The last one I received was the one that made me the most angry.

_'Should I just use my imagination as to where you've gone? Off fucking Randy this time are you?'_

I came close to throwing my phone across the room but resisted the urge and settled for chucking it into my purse instead. I stormed out of the lockeroom in search of where my Nexus partners would be. I found the lockeroom and shoved the door open. Paul was inside along with Heath and David. I marched up to him and spun him around by his elbow, slapping him hard across the face.

"You're an asshole!" I yelled. "A fucking asshole!"

"Whoa! What the hell!" Heath said.

"How could you say something like that to me? How could you," I realized I'd started crying and swiped tears away from my cheeks angrily. "I make one mistake! And you blow it out of proportion! And you say things like that to me! What kind of person are you?"

Paul glared at me. "You run off and disappear and what exactly am I supposed to think after last night?"

"I ran off? You kicked me out of the room, Paul! I had to stay with my brother!"

"Is that to give me peace of mind? Should I be reassured now you haven't gone and done something stupid?" Paul snapped.

Heath, who was hovering awkwardly beside us, took a step forward, trying to get between us. "Hey, y'all calm down...this ain't the place for this..."

"Stay out of this, Heath." Paul said sharply, pushing him aside.

"He's right, Paul. You know how Stu is..." David said.

"To hell with Stu," I yelled. "This is a personal issue that's got nothing to do with him or the rest of you!"

"Then take it the hell out of here," Heath said. "We don't need y'all screaming at each other in here."

I glared at him and spun on my heel, heading out the door. I heard Paul following close behind me. I turned off down a hallway and found an empty room, pulling the door open.

"Don't you think you overreacted? Just a bit?" I said, not bothering to turn and face Paul.

"Overreact? I don't think so. Imagine how you'd feel if I went out kissing random women. Wouldn't you react something of the same way?" Paul said.

"No, I wouldn't. I'd be fucking rational. And I wouldn't be sending people rude, passive aggressive text messages." I snapped, finally facing him. "I'd act like a damn adult and handle my problems face to face. Sure, I'd be upset but I wouldn't let that cloud the fact that this is an issue that most adults work through _together_. Instead of one acting like a child."

Paul snorted. "I don't believe that for a second, Arianne. I think you'd react very much the same or need I remind you about the restaurant incident a few weeks ago? The one where you left me sitting there like a fool and who do you ride off with? Randy fucking Orton."

"I didn't leave because I was angry with you. I left because I wanted to make a point. If you didn't change the way you were treating me, if you didn't act like you wanted to be in this relationship I'd walk away. I'd be done with this. Two years obviously hasn't had much of an impact on you if that's how you treat someone who's supposed to be your partner, when things get a little stressful."

"You would just walk away, throw two years away?" Paul said.

"Yes," I said. "I'm sick of feeling like you've forgotten me. I won't be treated like I'm an afterthought when I'm supposed to be your girlfriend. I won't. And I won't be treated like a child by you or anyone else. Not to mention, I don't want a hundred people sticking their noses in our business."

"What are you talking about, Arianne?" Paul asked.

"Don't play stupid now, Paul. I'm talking about the rest of the guys. I don't want this constant entourage of people that I don't even want to be around! There's no reason for one or three of them to be following us around all the time! If we're having issues it's our business, not there's. I hate that Stu always wants us to be together in the same place all the time."

"Well its not like we're all excited about it either," Paul snapped. "We weren't exactly happy about gaining a new member."

"Then why didn't any of you say anything at the meeting if you all thought I'd be _so_ burdensome?" I said.

Paul stayed silent for a moment, then finally said: "We want you and your brother among us about as much as you both want to be here. We're doing fine on our own. We don't need the company's top star and we don't need you either."

"Well gee Paul. Tell me how you really feel." I rolled my eyes but clenched my fists behind my back. I didn't know where this was going but I was good and pissed off already.

"You don't belong with us," He said coldly. "There's no reason you should actually be a part of this. You weren't part of this in the beginning and you certainly don't need to be a part of it now. I think it was an awful idea to want to put you with us. You don't have anything to offer us."

I dropped my fists to my sides, clenching them so tight my arms started to shake. I felt my face turning red and tears sting the backs of my eyes.

"Really? That's what you think? I'm not good enough to be part of the Nexus? I don't have what it takes?" I said.

"Exactly."

"Fuck you, Paul," I yelled. "You're a fucking asshole. I don't have what it takes? I've been busting my ass to get here and you fucking know it! I've worked so goddamn hard and you're saying I'm not good enough? Fuck you!"

"I didn't think you'd still want to," Paul said, smirking. "My name isn't Randy, after all."

My jaw dropped and stood gaping at him for a long moment, tears finally started to fall. "That's too fucking far, Paul."

I shoved him aside as I headed out the door. I didn't hear the door slam behind me but at that point I didn't care. I headed back towards John's lockeroom, tears falling openly.

"Arianne, stop!" Paul called.

I paused, turning back to him. "Stay the hell away from me!"

I turned to walk away again but Paul grabbed me by the elbow. We were in a more open, more populated section of the backstage area now and there were a few of our coworkers looking on at the scene. I snatched my arm out of his grip and tried to keep moving but he only grabbed me again, by the shoulders this time.

"Don't walk away from me..."

"Get your hands off me," I snarled. "You lost the privilege to fucking touch me after the way you just insulted me. Let go of me."

"Arianne I'm sorry...that was too far..."

I wrenched myself out of his grip, facing him. "You're not fucking sorry. If you really gave a shit you would never have said that to begin with!"

"What the hell is going on back here?"

Paul and I turned simultaneously and standing beside us was Stephanie. I had no idea she was out on the road with us this time and was shocked to see her. She had a hard look on her face, her hands perched on her hips, eyes narrowed at the pair of us.

"Follow me, you two." She said.

I shot a glare at Paul and followed as Stephanie lead the way. A short walk later, she opened the door to her office, motioning for us to sit in the chairs in front of the desk.

"I don't know of the two of you are aware how quickly word travels backstage," Stephanie said, folding her hands on top of the desk. "It's hardly appropriate to engage in a lovers quarrel at work. I don't care where, who, or why it started but I will not have my talent conduct themselves in such a manner. Trust me when I say the two of you are not the first I've had this conversation with. Our company standard of conduct is something to be upheld at all times. Whether you're in the ring or out of it. Your actions reflect directly on the company. This, no matter who did or didn't see, reflects badly on but the two of you, and all of us."

"Stephanie, I'm sorry," I said, wiping my cheeks. "This shouldn't have happened here and I realize that mistake."

"You had better, Arianne," Stephanie said sharply. "I expect better than this from you. You both need to handle your personal business on private time."

"This wasn't supposed to escalate the way it did," Paul said tightly. "I'm terribly sorry."

Stephanie didn't look convinced. "If this happens again, there will be repercussions. Do you both understand?"

I nodded. "Yes. It won't happen again."

Paul simply nodded silently and Stephanie dismissed us. I hung by the door for a moment while Paul left immediately.

"You can go, Arianne." Stephanie said.

"...Can...can I ask you something Stephanie?" I said quietly. "Not as employer to employee, but woman to woman. Please?"

I glanced back and her expression had softened. She waved me back in and I shut the door, sitting down again.

"Go ahead." She said.

"I really do apologize for today...it should never have happened. But...maybe I overreacted? But how DO you react when someone insults you not only personally, but professionally? They insult everything you've worked for, missed your family for. They insult your integrity as a woman. Make false claims about you to your face. I know I shouldn't have blown up but this has been the culmination of so much crap that's been going on in my life for the past few months. It just finally took its toll."

Stephanie sighed softly. "I understand what you're saying, Arianne. And I'm sorry this has been weighing on you so heavily. But if you want my honest opinion, woman to woman, I think you reacted how any woman who'd been hurt by the man that they love would. I think you have every right to feel the way that you do because it does hurt. Hearing someone say those things to and about you can't feel any other way than awful."

"Its hard to imagine two years of my life...that I've gotten used to. That I've been comfortable with is about to change so drastically in such a short period of time." I said.

"So then I take it that you won't be attempting to work things out?" Stephanie said.

"How could I? After that. After what he accused me of. I won't let that just slide. I can't."

"What, if you don't mind me asking, is that?" Stephanie asked.

I sighed. "He accused me of sleeping with Randy Orton. It never happened."

Stephanie frowned. "That's a bit of an unfounded claim, isn't it?"

"Yes and no," I said. "Randy and I are close friends...I admitted to Paul I kissed him a little while back and he freaked out. Now he's assuming we're sleeping around but that's the furthest thing from the truth. Not only that, he had the audacity to tell me I "didn't belong" in the Nexus, that I had nothing to offer them. That I wasn't good enough."

"Now that's personally insulting to me," Stephanie said. "I understand completely that you'd want to end things. Personally, I'd be thinking the same thing were I in your shoes. Do what's best for you, Arianne, if he doesn't like it, then that's just too bad."

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that." I said.

"Then I'd listen," Stephanie laughed softly. "People are giving you good advice."

"Thanks Stephanie," I said. "And I really do apologize about earlier."

"I know," She said. "But be clear that I did mean what I said. There will repercussions if this should happen again."

"Yes, I understand," I nodded. "Thanks for listening."

Stephanie smiled and nodded and I excused myself, heading back to John's lockeroom. He wasn't there when I returned and for once I was thankful. I wanted to be alone, I wanted to take a few minutes to gather myself and my thoughts about this whole situation. The future of my relationship with Paul was nonexistent at this point, as far as I was concerned. And for the first time, the thought of being without him didn't hurt.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ari? Hey, are you listening?"

Liz shook my shoulder and I jumped. She was saying something about making plans to come to the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in two weeks since it'd be sealing John's Nexus fate and she hadn't been to a live event outside of the Florida area in a while. I'd been lost in thoughts, it'd been barely a month since I'd become a cog in the Nexus machine and things were worse than ever. Paul and I had fought to the point that Stephanie McMahon-Levesque had threatened us with serious repercussions if it happened again. The whole thing made me a bundle of knots and nerves, unable to unwind.

"What's up with you, Spacey Stacy?" Liz laughed. "Are you alright?"

I tucked my feet under myself on the couch, shaking my head. "No. Far from it."

"And you've been keeping this from me because...?" Liz said.

"I don't mean to," I said, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes. "I've just been so... raw and screwed up lately. I can't even begin to explain how fucked up things are right now."

"It's not like you have to speak in full sentences with me, Ari," Liz said gently, patting my knee. "Just let it flow. However it comes out."

I took a deep breath, recalling for Liz the parts of the story I couldn't remember having discussed with her before. The confrontation I'd had with Paul when I told him about kissing Randy. When he kicked me out of our room, and the scene that happened after at the arena. The stress that had been building up of being in the same group with Paul and six other men I didn't particularly get along with and having little or no reprieve from it all.

"It all just fucking sucks," I grumbled, pulling my knees up to my chest. "And it's also why I'm here hanging out with you and John and not at my house because I can't stand to be around Paul right now. I don't want to be in that house with him."

"But it's _your_ house, Arianne," Liz said. "You deserve to be there, too. And trust me I have no problem with you staying here. I love that you're here, because I miss your beautiful face, but I don't like that it's because you feel like you can't go home. I know that's not entirely it, but it's unfair to you that he's essentially, pushed you out of our own house."

"It's _our_ house. I think that's the biggest mistake I've made. Buying that house with him," I sighed. "After six months? What's _wrong_ with me, Liz?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, Arianne," She said. "You guys were in love, you didn't think something like this would happen. Did you rush into such a big decision like buying a home together? Yes. I wouldn't lie to you, kiddo. But you're young, my goodness you were hardly twenty when you guys did that."

"Yeah, I guess that wasn't the best decision to make, was it?" I said softly.

"Well you're not a psychic, Ari-girl. You could never have predicted things would end this way," Liz said. "It's unfortunate, of course because no one wants to see a relationship they've put so much work into just fall apart. I mean... you two are broken up, at this point, right?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yes." I said.

"Does he know that?" Liz asked.

"I can't imagine he'd think we were still together," I said, tucking hair behind my ear. "I think it was pretty clear that we were finished as a couple the other week with that whole debacle at the arena."

"Were the words expressly said? I mean, you never know, Arianne. Sometimes you have to really lay these things out for some guys or they make assumptions and look like assholes saying they're still with a girl who doesn't want shit to do with them anymore," Liz said. "Sometimes you have to tell them it's over or they live in this fantasy world where they can just keep apologizing and thinking they've made everything okay."

"Liz, I haven't even talked to Paul since it all happened. I'm never around him unless it's work related. Either I keep to myself or I'm with John or Randy." I said.

"But sometimes, Ari, communication when ending a relationship is just as important as it is within the relationship." Liz said, then a small smile broke out across her lips. "Speaking of Randy. How are things on that front?"

I smiled. "Randy has been great. He's super supportive and has been really sweet throughout this whole disaster. He actually offered for me to come and stay with him for these couple days off since he knew I wasn't going to my house. But I wanted to see you so I told him maybe next time."

Liz chuckled. "He wants you so bad he's not even trying to hide it anymore."

"What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Think about it, Ari. Has he been any different at all since that one incident when he kissed you? He's observant enough to tell that this relationship is over and he's slowly trying to make it evident that he's making a play for Arianne's new boyfriend." Liz said, laughing.

"I don't think he wants to be my new boyfriend," I shook my head. "He's just being Randy. He's always been nicer to me than just about everyone else..."

"That's cos he wants to penetrate you," Liz blurted and I couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, Arianne! I know you're young but you're not that goddamn naive! If I'm being a little less crude, he fucking loves you, kid! He loves you and he wants to show you what it's like to have a man who treats you right. Randy is John's best friend, and out of respect for him and you, and because John threatened some serious bodily harm to him a few years back if the touched you, he never came straight out and said it. But he really does have feelings for you."

"How come I'm the only one that doesn't know about this?" I pouted.

"Because you had a boyfriend. He wasn't trying to be some woman-stealing douchebag," Liz shrugged. "He shook that playboy thing and how would it look if he just snatched you out from under some other guy's arm? It'd look really bad on his part and yours. So he respected the fact that you were in a relationship. He didn't like it, but he respected it. He knew that there were boundaries and that bad to be set and he wasn't trying to cross them but he's liked you for a long time."

"I still just can't believe that _I'm _the type of girl Randy would go for," I shook my head. "It just doesn't make sense..."

"Does it have to? The man is interested in you and I know you're interested in him," Liz said, staring at me pointedly. "Plus once you sort everything out with Paul, you're a free woman. What's the harm in finally giving it a try. At least your brother won't have anything to say about it now."

I sighed. There was no reason that I couldn't give things with Randy a try once I made it clear to Paul that we were done. That, however, was the pressing issue. Getting a moment alone to have a conversation with him about the fact that I didn't want to be with him anymore. I could go home, tell him it was over, pack my things and go back to John's house.

"...Do you want to take me home for a few minutes? I think I need to settle this." I said.

Liz smiled and nodded. I stood up and slid my boots on. Liz grabbed her keys and we headed out the door. My house wasn't far from where John and Liz lived and when we pulled up, Paul's car wasn't in the driveway. I cursed as I got out of the car, heading to the house and unlocking the door. I waved Liz in, heading upstairs to the bedroom and tossed open the door to the closet. Most of my luggage was already at John's house, filled with my newly clean clothes from the road. I pulled another suitcase out of the closet and tossed it onto the bed.

"Want some help?" Liz asked.

"Sure," I called from the closet. "Open drawers and toss in whatever's mine. Doesn't matter if it fits or not. I'll sort it out when I get back to your place."

Fifteen minutes later, Liz and I filled the suitcase and Paul still hadn't returned. Resigned to the fact that I'd have to postpone this yet another day, I drug the suitcase downstairs and shoved it in the trunk of Liz's car. I checked the rest of the house for anything that I needed and we headed out. John was pulling in at the house at the same time that he returned and looked curiously at me when I started hauling an extra suitcase out of the trunk.

"What's going on here?" John asked.

"I went home to get some stuff," I said as John grabbed the suitcase from me. "The original intent was to make things very clear with Paul that he and I were no longer together but he's not home. So I'm stuck waiting for him yet again. I don't want to do this anymore. I just want this to be over so that I can move on with my life. There's other avenues for me to explore."

John nodded as we headed into the house. I ran my suitcase upstairs, leaving it in the guest room where I was staying. When he came back, Liz and I had reclaimed our spots on the couch. John sat down next to Liz, throwing his arm around her. I sighed, pulling my knees up to my chest again, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"I don't know what to do about the house," I said quietly. "I don't want anything from him other than for us to not have to be in contact with each other except for work. I just want some peace in my life right now."

"You could just sell the house," Liz said. "Sell it, split it down the middle or whatever."

"Now I've gotta find another place to live," I sighed heavily. "I can't believe this is seriously happening."

"You know you can stay here as long as you need to." John said.

I nodded. "I know... it's just strange, when you get so used to having your own place, ya know? I didn't think that this would... I guess I should have..."

"Ari, stop. There's no possible way you could have seen this coming," Liz said, reaching over and grabbing my hand. "Sometimes things just go down. Sometimes it doesn't always end up the way you imagine. But you can't beat yourself up for it. You just can't. You'll make yourself so miserable and neither me or John could stand to see you like that. So you're ending a chapter of your life. But I think the new one that's opening in front of you sounds like it's about to start off pretty damn good."

I looked up and Liz was smiling knowingly at me. John had a 'what the hell are you talking about' sort of expression on his face. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I don't think I should even be worrying about that right now, Elizabeth." I laughed.

"What's to worry about? It's right there in front of you!" She giggled.

"Um, what the hell are you two taking about?" John asked.

"I think Arianne and Randy need to get together. He wants her, she wants him, it's all laid out right in front of them. They obviously already have a good relationship, chemistry, _tension_ I'd imagine..." John groaned and Liz elbowed him in the ribs. "Plus look at those two. They'd be so cute together. And it's sorta been a few years in the making, hasn't it?"

"If you count us crushing on each other at separate times from afar." I muttered.

"The technical stuff doesn't matter," Liz waved a hand, still smiling. "I just want you to do whatever makes you happy. Whatever that is. Whether it's being with someone like Randy, or it's being by yourself for a while."

John nodded his agreement. "Exactly. You don't have to got straight into another relationship, Ari-kid. He's gonna be there for you. Hell he's waited this long."

"Okay seriously, why am I only just finding out about all this with Randy? You guys never thought it was a good idea to tell me this stuff," I said, pouting. "There's no promising we would have actually got together but this coulda saved me a whole big pain in the ass."

"Well John was trippin' on you dating a dude like Randy back in the day..." Liz started.

"She was fourteen, Liz!" John blurted.

"That's not what I mean, dummy. When she was like eighteen and you were still freaking out about it. When he told you he was down for her and she was totally of age," Liz said calmly. "You still told him not to even think about it. _And_ this was before she got together with Paul."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Look, as much as I would love to sit here and listen to you guys dissect my love life. I really need to sort out where I'm gonna live once this house sells... maybe I should head back up north, move back to Massachusetts or something."

"Do you really wanna move back home?" John asked.

"Hell no! I didn't say I was moving _back home_. Maybe Boston or something," I said, shaking my head. "I love our family and all but no way in hell I'm moving back to West Newbury."

"You can't move back to Boston, Ari! I'll never see you!" Liz said, frowning. "Tampa is a big city. You could stay in the area."

"She's right, kid. Don't let him push you out of this city," John said. "I know you like it here, and I know you'd rather eat your shoes than move back to Massachusetts. We'll help you look for places around here. On the other side of town if you want... as long as you're still close enough to us."

"Oh John stop," Liz laughed. "She's a grown woman. If she doesn't want to practically live next door to her brother it's okay. She's still gonna be in the same city, it's not like you can't drive your lazy ass over and see her."

"Yeah, Johnny, you're just gonna have to come and see me," I smiled. "And it's not like I won't come here. I'll just find an apartment or something."

"We'll help you look, Ari-kid," John said. "I'm sorry this happened. But as long as you're okay, and happy, you just do what you gotta do."


	15. Chapter 15

I avoided Paul for a week once and I was beginning to think he was doing the same to me. Even though we were forced together in the Nexus, he seemed to constantly make certain that he surrounded himself with our teammates, knowing I wouldn't involve anyone else in our private business. The Nexus situation, however, was about to become drastically less stressful in a matter of hours.

Tonight was the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and John's scheduled entrance into the group. Liz had joined us for the event and her presence gave me reprieve from my teammates. Tonight felt lucky, knowing I'd soon have relief professionally, having Liz with us to hang out with during the day. Hopefully, the luck lasted and I'd be able to work out the kinks in my personal life without much drama.

Nattie joined Liz and I for lunch away from the arena. Only moments after we were seated, my phone buzzed inside my purse, a call or incoming message that I ignored.

"Paul?" Liz asked, glancing up from her menu.

I shrugged. "Dunno. If its him he can leave a message. If its John, I know he'll call you."

Nattie raised an eyebrow. "So I'm taking it you and Paul didn't work things out?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I've come to the realization that...maybe what we had isn't enough anymore. We've obviously grown apart and nothing we do seems to work. He's done more apologizing than changing and I'm sick to death of it. We've both made mistakes in this relationship that have been the nail in the coffin for us."

Nattie frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that sweetie. But I know you've been pretty unhappy with him for a while."

We paused our conversation long enough to order our food when the waiter came by. My phone buzzed again and I continued to ignore it.

"Yeah. I think it's time for some changes in my life," I said. "I just wanna be happy. I'm not complaining about my professional life because this is good exposure, this Nexus business, and you never know when that'll come around again."

Nattie nodded. "For sure. You don't sneeze in the face of opportunity."

"It'll be a bit awkward though, won't it? I mean after breaking up with Paul, then still having to be around him all the time?" Liz said.

"I'm sure it will be. But I'm going to try my hardest to be professional about it and not let my personal life interfere with being a professional anymore," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "The last thing I want is for Stephanie to be on my case again."

"I heard about that," Nattie said. "So Steph was pissed huh?"

"Livid," I said, shaking my head. "It was a stupid situation that never should have escalated the way it did. I'm a little disappointed in myself for letting it happen."

My phone buzzed again and Liz rolled her eyes. "Will you check that thing already, Ari?"

I sighed and dug my phone out of my purse, looking at the display. I had at least six text messages, all from Paul, all asking where I was and reminding me in a not so pleasant way of my Nexus duties. I turned off my phone and tossed it back into my purse.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell them that I'm not about this one for all and all for one Nexus bullshit. I take my job seriously but I also have a life outside that. I'm here with you girls and if they don't like it then that's just too bad." I said.

Nattie shook her head. "That's something I'll never understand. There's one thing about keeping up the facade in front of big groups of fans but once that's all passed, there's no reason you shouldn't have a life of your own. We get precious few things to ourselves, it's nice to be able to keep a bit of sanity in that respect."

"I can't imagine how they don't understand that you don't want to be around them. It's like they're too goddamn dumb to realize it," Liz said, shaking her head. "I know you're all about the exposure for this but I honestly can't wait till it's over for you, Ari."

"One day," I said. "Keeping hope for bigger and better things."

"Aren't we all." Nattie agreed.

* * *

I'm sure Stu or Paul were looking to give me an earful for my lack of communication with the group when I finally got back to the arena from lunch with the girls but instead of heading to the Nexus lockeroom, I went to John's. He and Randy were inside talking when I got there so I skirted around them and settled myself on the couch until they finished their conversation. On his way out, Randy gave me a wink and a kiss on the forehead that left me feeling more flushed than I could remember feeling in the past when he'd done that. John dropped down on the couch next to me as he left, throwing an arm around me.

"What's up with you, Ari-kid?" John said.

I leaned against him. "Not much. I've been summoned far too many times by my group mates for me to care. Had lunch with Liz and Nat and I can't wait for the show to start."

"Yeah. I'll be on your side again tonight," John shook his head. "Gonna be interesting, this whole thing."

"Well, with you being there it'll be a hell of a lot more bearable for me," I sighed. "I still haven't got a chance to speak to Paul alone about this house thing. It's really starting to stress me out."

"Don't get stressed, Ari. It's just one bridge you'll have to cross when it comes. It's not your fault he's being difficult. You want to handle this like an adult and he's not giving you the chance to," John said. "I know once this is all cleared up you'll be happy for it to be over but until then, stay strong."

"I know, I know," I said. "So are you ready to become part of the madness?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," John said, rolling his eyes. "How long could we possibly get stuck in this? Can't keep both of us down for long, right kiddo?"

I shrugged. "Let's hope not."

"Chin up, Arianne! It's gonna be fine." John said, standing up. "Now, I gotta get ready for show time. You should probably go see what the troops want before shit really starts to hit the fan."

I frowned at John but pushed up to my feet anyway. "I suppose I should."

"Think of it this way, maybe you'll be lucky and be able to get stuff off your chest before showtime. That way you're totally focused and ready to go." John said.

I nodded, and hugged John before heading out the door. I wandered for a bit before finally heading to the Nexus lockeroom. I stopped by the Women's lockeroom to change for the evening before heading to find my teammates. When I found the lockeroom, with a heavy sigh, I knocked on the door, waiting for one of them to open it. Heath was the one who opened the door and he grinned at me as he let me in. He and Paul were the only members of the group in the lockeroom for the moment and it confused me. Normally everyone was here, so for the two of them to be alone was strange.

"Where's everyone else? They finally send out a search party?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Have you been ignoring your phone?" Paul said from the corner.

"That's generally what's happening when you don't get an answer from someone after repeated messages," I said. "By the way, whether you like it or not, we've got to talk."

"Last time you said that you had some very... _uncharacteristic _news to tell me," Paul snapped. "Should I be expecting the same thing this time?"

"Go to hell, Paul," I said. "You'll find out when you're man enough to stop avoiding me and talk to me like an adult."

"Such a comforting notion." Paul muttered.

I clenched my fist against the urge to slap him and took a seat on the other side of the room. It wasn't long before the rest of the group assembled and we were counting down the last moments before the pay-per-view. I didn't have much to do except reluctantly accompany Stu to the ring and cheer John on from outside the cage. I watched the other matches on the card in silence in the lockeroom before being trooped out with Stu for the Nexus match. Towards the end of the bout, just when it looked like John had clinched a victory, there was interference from two members of the latest batch of NXT rookies, Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris. The interference caused a loss for John and a gain for the Nexus.

I was following John back to his lockeroom after the match and was halfway there before someone grabbed me by the elbow. I jerked my arm and spun around, seeing Paul behind me I frowned.

"Want me to stick around, Ari-kid?" John asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"No, I'm fine," I said. "You go ahead."

John squeezed my shoulder and headed off to his lockeroom. I turned back to face Paul, crossing my arms across my chest.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You said we needed to speak." Paul replied.

"Yeah, the last time I attempted to speak to you and we were in a work environment it almost cost both our asses, I refuse to let that happen again." I said.

"It's now of never at this point Arianne."

"Excuse me? No, that's not the way this is going to work," I said. "You don't get to make ultimatums."

"And you're the one making the rules then? Well I suppose things will be running loosely with this conversation." Paul said.

I felt my jaw hang for a moment before I regained myself and spoke again. "You can take whatever petty little snipes at me you want Paul, but I just want all of this to finally be over. Everything between us has fallen apart and obviously with all the unsuccessful attempts to fix things, it's time for all this to come to and end..."

"What are you talking about, Arianne?"

"Us! This relationship! Clearly it's not working, no matter what's been done to try and fix it! We've hit far too many irreparable snags and I for one am done with your shitty attitude, your accusations and just about everything else about you, Paul! This is it! We are done," I said, gritting my teeth. "I've already got most of my things out of the house, if you haven't noticed and I'll get the rest when we go back again..."

"And this is just it? I'm to accept this? What if I don't want to let you go?" Paul said.

"You don't have a choice, Paul. You can't keep me against my will," I said, sighing heavily. "Look, the house is too much for one of us to maintain on our own. I realize I can't do anything about it without you. Since I've already decided to move out, it's your decision what else to do with it. You have my consent to sell if you do so choose. I'm sorry it came to this, Paul."

I turned to leave, feeling lighter than I had in months. Something was finally going right in my quest to rid my personal life of unnecessary drama. My happiness at the situation, however, didn't last long as I'd hardly made it a few steps when Paul grabbed my arm. I pulled but Paul yanked back and I stopped short, fearing my arm might come out of socket.

"Let go of me!" I snapped.

"You're being ridiculous! You're ending everything? After all this time? You're just giving up on it?" Paul said, his grip tightening on my arm.

"I already told you, Paul! After everything that's happened, and all the things you've said to me. You've undermined everything I've been working towards for the last few years of my life! I've worked my ass off and you think I don't deserve to be here? You've been awful and accused me of things that are ridiculous and completely unfounded! I'm done! Now let go of me!"

I tried to pull away again but Paul didn't let go of my arm and when I swung back around to speak to him again he used my own momentum to swing me sideways into the wall next to me. I lost my footing and skidded back first into the wall, the back of my head knocking into the concrete as my butt hit the ground. I grabbed the back of my head, pain bloomed as I tried to shake the shock off. I looked up, my eyes meeting Paul's and he looked angry. He took a few steps closer to me but before he made it any further, I heard footsteps running down the hallway. I looked to my left and saw Randy coming toward us. He grabbed Paul by the back of his neck and pulled him back, shoving him against the opposite wall, pinning him by his shoulders.

"Don't you ever put your fucking hands on her again." Randy growled.

"This is none of your business." Paul snarled.

"It's my business when you decide to put your hands on an innocent woman you shit-bag," Randy snapped. "Who the fuck do you think you are!"

"You have got to be _kidding_ me!"

I pulled myself up from the ground gingerly to see the very unhappy look on Stephanie McMahon-Levesque's face.

"Again! I told you two the first time that if there were anymore instances like the first one there would be repercussions and what do I hear? The same two people arguing over the same stuff and at a pay-per-view event at that!" She said loudly, her hands perched on her hips. "And Randy Orton, _let go of him._ Do you have any idea how this looks?"

Reluctantly, Randy stepped back, dropping his hands - clenched into fists - at his sides. "With all due respect, Stephanie. He threw Arianne into a wall. I saw it happen and as a man, I wasn't about to stand back and see what else he planned to do to her."

"I wasn't going to do anything!" Paul yelled.

"Yeah, I believe you. I just watched you throw her at a wall and then try and get closer. Nothing happening, sure." Randy said sarcastically.

"Enough!" Stephanie yelled. "I will not have the pair of you disrespecting my authority! I told you both that if this happened again there would be consequences. Have thirty days to think about how important it is to listen when your bosses tell you to air your dirty laundry at home!"

With that, Stephanie turned and headed off. My shoulders dropped, I'd intended to end the drama in my love life but only seemed to succeed in creating more in my professional life.


	16. Chapter 16

My heart was hammering as Randy walked me the rest of the way to John's lockeroom. This was the last thing I expected to happen tonight. I didn't want to fight with Paul this extensively. Honestly, I hadn't gone in looking for a fight at all, but now my head was thumping dully and I was vaguely aware of the harangue Randy had been on since we parted ways with Paul and Stephanie.

"Who the hell does that guy think he is," Randy grumbled angrily. "You don't put your hands..."

"Randy, stop," I reached over and grabbed his wrist. "I know you're upset. And there's gonna be all sorts of hell raining down when John find out, but its over. He and I are over, and I don't want to think about it right now. Trust me, I'm probably going to do enough thinking about it over the next thirty days. I don't even know how to tell John about this..."

Randy sighed, tugging my arm gently and pulling me against him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest.

"I'll come with you if you want."

I sighed, giving him a squeeze. "You're always just where I need you to be, Randy. Ever since the beginning of this Nexus thing, you've been right beside me. I appreciate that more than you'll ever know."

Randy kissed the top of my head. "I told you I always would be, Arianne. I meant it."

We started walking against, Rand with his arm still around me. Before we got back to the lockeroom, I tugged Randy to a stop again.

"Can I ask you a weird question?" I said.

"Of course you can." Randy replied.

"Do you think we'd be good together?"

"We? As in you and me? Us?" Randy pointed back and forth between us. "Randy and Arianne?"

"That's generally what 'we' means," I joked. "I'm just curious... as to what you think."

"I'm not sure, to be honest with you, Ari," Randy said. "There's been many times when I wanted to try and steal you away... but I just couldn't be that guy anymore. I respect you too much for that. You were happy with him and as much as I care about you and disliked him, I wasn't going to wreck what made you happy. I can't tell you whether we'd be good together or not. I only hope we could be one day if you make that choice."

"Would you ever want to try?" I asked.

"I don't think you should worry about this right now," Randy said. "As tempting a subject as it is, I don't want you to just jump into something new right away. That wouldn't look good on either of us."

I sighed but nodded. "You're right, Randy. I just asked out of curiosity."

"I know, kiddo. And we'll cross that bridge when or if we come to it."

I nodded again and turned to open the door to John's lockeroom. He was pacing the floor, still in his wrestling gear. He stopped when he saw Randy and I standing in the doorway.

"What took you so long?" He said.

I moved further into the room allowing Randy to follow me and shut the door behind us.

"There was an.. issue with the conversation I tried to have with Paul," I said hesitantly. "Do you remember me telling you what Stephanie said to use a few weeks back?"

"Yeah. Cause another scene and you both will be..." John paused. "Arianne. What happened?"

"It was a stupid argument I was trying to avoid having and he pushed it. I broke up with him and he didn't seem to want to accept that fact. Things just got out of hand." I said.

"You're leaving something out, Ari." Randy said.

"Not important, Randy." I said with gritted teeth.

"The hell it isn't!" Randy said. "I know you're trying to avoid upsetting John but he has to know."

"Why would you not wanna tell me something Ari-kid? We talk about everything." John frowned.

I sighed. "Stephanie saw or heard what happened. We're both suspended for thirty days."

"Arianne," John said, and the disappointment in his voice made me slump my shoulders. "You knew you'd be in trouble if you got into it with him again at work..."

"I wasn't trying to! It was so stupid! I told him I wanted to talk to him - later, not now - and he kept pushing it," Randy snorted and I jabbed him with my elbow. "I didn't mean for this to happen but it did. I've been given my consequences and I have to live with it."

John looked back and forth between Randy and I a few times, a perplexed look on his face.

"What else?" He asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Then it's something, Ari. What happened?" John said.

"The little bastard threw her into a wall," Randy interjected. "I saw it happen and wanted to rip his head off."

"He did what?" John said lowly.

"John. It's nothing. I'm fine. I don't want you doing anything and getting yourself in trouble over this. You either, Randy." I said firmly.

"I'm not gonna get myself in trouble, but I'm also not gonna stand for some scumbag putting his hands on my sister," John said and started pacing again.

"I'm pretty sure Randy scared the hell out of him already." I said.

"Not enough if you ask me." Randy muttered.

"Stop!" I said loudly. "Both of you! It's done. I just want to forget about all this crap and go home."

* * *

Even though it was a punishment, the first week of my suspension was almost relaxing. There were so many things I could catch up with at home. I finally moved everything out of the house I once shared with Paul and into the temporary space John and Liz had created for me at their house. I did all of the monotonous things I did whenever I had the chance to come home for a few days like laundry, and organizing the room I had at John's place.

Halfway through the second week though, I was starting to go a little stir crazy. After being on the road constantly for so many years, to be sitting still at home was driving me out of my mind.

One Wednesday, I was sitting at my laptop on the couch when my phone buzzed next to me with a text message.

'_Hanging in there Cena girl?'_ Randy wrote.

'_Going a little nuts being stuck at home. Apartment hunting today._' I wrote back.

A few minutes passed before he replied. '_Got all your stuff out of the other place then?'_

_'Yeah. Finished getting everything last week. Now I'm out of stuff to do._'

'_I'll be home for a couple days starting tomorrow. Come hang with me._' Randy replied.

I paused for a few long seconds, staring at the text Randy had sent me, thinking hard before finally replying.

'_Alright. Let me see if I can book a ticket._'

'_Let me know. My treat._' Randy said.

'_Thanks_,' I sent back with a smile. _'I'll email you the details._'

'_Cool. See you soon._'

I sat my phone down and opened a new window on my internet browser to search for airfare to St. Louis. I'd just sent the details to Randy when Liz walked in the door.

"Hey Ari-kid!" She said, dropping her purse on the couch. "Have you been here all day?"

I looked over at her and rolled my eyes. "I don't have anything else to do right now. I'm waiting to hear from a couple of places about apartment openings. Until then I'm kinda stuck."

"I know this has to be driving you crazy, being stuck at home and not on the road like you're used to." Liz frowned.

"Like you wouldn't believe," I sighed. "So I'm gonna go and hang out with Randy for a couple days. He's gonna be home."

"Oh really?" Liz giggled, sitting down next to me. "Did you just decide to go?"

"He invited me," I said, shutting the lid of my laptop. "We talked for a bit earlier and I told him I was going stir crazy not traveling for a month so he invited me to come down and hang out with him for the couple days he was at home."

"That'll be an interesting trip, won't it?" Liz said.

"Why would it be?" I asked.

"Think about this situation, Ari-girl. You just got out of a crumbling relationship and obviously you have a guy who is very much interested in you and you're going to spend a couple solo days - and nights - with him," Liz said. "And I'm not trying to insinuate that anything _will_ happen but you're a big girl, Ari. You know the possibility and temptation is there."

"Nothing is gonna happen except me getting a little change of scenery before I go back out on the road." I said firmly.

"Honestly, there's nothing wrong with it if something does happen. You're a grown, _single_ woman. No one can tell you you're wrong or anything." Liz said, patting my knee.

"I know, but that's not really the reason I'm going down there. I'm just... going." I said.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, sweetheart, you know that. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone."

"I don't plan on having to," I said, looking down at my phone when it buzzed. "Mind taking me to the airport in the morning?"

"No problem, Ari-kid." Liz grinned.

* * *

John told me that he didn't know how to feel about me going to see Randy for a few days when I informed him that I'd be going. I told him that he didn't have to worry about it. We were just two friends hanging out for a couple of days. I wasn't sure why my brother and sister-in-law were under the impression that something was going to happen between Randy and I.

But that didn't matter when my plane touched down at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. I walked up the ramp towards the terminal, pulling the hood of my jacket and looping the strap of my bag over my head. I scanned the area, full of travelers and their families, looking for Randy. I reached into my bag, pulling out my phone to turn it on again. Once my phone booted up, I sent John and Liz texts letting them know I'd made it safely. I'd started to scroll through my contact list for Randy's number when I got a text message from him.

'_I see you, little Cena._' And a smile.

I looked up, scanning the crowd again and frowned when I didn't see him. My phone went off again. Another text from Randy, telling me to look to my left. I did and then I saw him. He blended into the crowd wearing a black cap and t-shirt with jeans. I smiled, walking over to him and gave him a playful punch in the arm.

"You're blind, girl," He chuckled. "How was your flight?"

"Not bad," I shrugged as we headed towards the baggage claim. "Same old kinda travel ya know?"

"Yeah. Well, I'd love to say I've got a bunch of stuff planned for us to do these couple days but I really don't," Randy said, smiling. "I figured you could just use a change of scenery."

"Mhm. For sure. I never thought being suspended would be this... boring. You figure you'd get to be at home and chill but once you run out of things to do, you're like well fuck. What now?"

"Tell me about it. I've been there before," Randy said. "What's your bag look like?"

"It's yellow," I laughed. "I borrowed it from Liz, all I had were huge suitcases."

Randy chuckled and stepped forward as the embarrassingly yellow bag spun around the carousel. He snatched the bag from the claim wheel and slung the strap over his shoulder.

"I can carry that," I said, reaching for it, but Randy moved out of the way. "Seriously it's so bright."

"Hush," Randy said. "So, you ready to relax for a couple days?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

I smiled and followed Randy out to the parking garage and to his car. Randy stashed my bag in the back seat as I got into the car and he followed soon after. He started the car and we were off to start our two days together.


End file.
